A Tuesday night fire has killed one person in Northampton County. We're being told a man was killed in the fire that broke out a little after 8:30 Tuesday night at a home in the 900 block of Glendon Avenue. The man, who has not been identified, was found dead inside the home, which has been declared uninhabitable. Investigators are still trying to determine why the fire began.
The Lehigh County coroner says a 68-year-old man is dead after being hit by a car in a Thursday night hit-and-run. Augustin Morales-Ibanes died late Friday night at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem after being hit by a car the night before, around 11 p.m. at the intersection of Tilghman and N. Elliger streets in Allentown. Allentown police are investigating the crash.
Garbage removal costs are dramatically increasing in South Whitehall Township. Township commissioners received quotes from several waste management companies last night, all of which are at least 50-percent higher than the current cost. The contract that is currently in place was in effect prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which along with inflation and labor costs are being blamed for the new contract price. Commissioners say the best quote they received was from J. P. Mascaro and Sons, who quote the township more than $21 million for a five year contract. Township commissioners voted to table a decision of awarding a contract until a meeting next month. Details on per household price increases will be announced after a contract is awarded.
The average price for a gallon of gas in the Lehigh Valley dropped by two cents over the past seven days, ending at $3.80 on Tuesday. When compared to the price last August 22nd, the price is down 33 cents. Across the commonwealth, the price remained flat, sitting at $3.90 Tuesday, which is 31 cents below the price last August 22nd.
After a 12-year-old boy drowned over the weekend at Blue Marsh Lake in Berks County, park ranger Kirsten Bell says life jackets are a must on or in water. "That's regardless of whether you're swimming or boating, and for that life jacket to function correctly, it must be the right size for the individual wearing it, and it has to be fastened for it to do its job," said Bell. She says the boy who died Saturday afternoon was not wearing a life jacket and was not swimming in the designated swimming area.
A state hearing is set for this morning to discuss the prevalence of so-called "skill games" in the commonwealth. Members of the Democratic Policy Committee will meet via Zoom from the municipal township building in Radnor. State Senators Katie Muth and Amanda Cappelletti are hosting the hearing to talk about an ongoing court battle over the legality of the games, because they're not taxed and not regulated. The senators say the industry has already diverted over 650-million-dollars away from programs that help senior citizens - programs which benefit from proceeds from other state gambling.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is making it easier for out-of-state nurses to practice in the Keystone State. Nursing shortages have reportedly impacted care throughout the commonwealth including in Western Pennsylvania. Governor Shapiro is now signing onto a deal called the Nurse Licensure Compact which allows nurses licensed in one of the pact members 41 states and territories to practice in the others. Pennsylvania will join in on that pact effective September 5th.
A Monmouth University poll shows a majority of New Jerseyans surveyed support the idea that parents should be notified if their children ask to be identified by a different gender. The poll found that 77 percent of those surveyed feel parental notification should be required, and 55 percent thinks parents should be notified even if it's not required. Majorities of Republicans and Democrats support parental notification, while more Republicans than Democrats feel this way. Three school districts in Monmouth County are currently being blocked by court order from implementing policies requiring parental notification.
James Harden is paying dearly for his comments about 76ers president Daryl Morey. The NBA fined Harden 100-thousand-dollars for calling Morey a "liar" and refusing to work in the same organization. The league said the current 76ers star guard indicated he, "would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team." The statement violated the NBA's policy on players publicly demanding trades. Philly agreed to seek a trade partner after the ten-time All-Star picked up his nearly 36-million-dollar player option back in June. However, Philadelphia recently ended trade talks with all teams.
Trea Turner was the hero Tuesday night for the Phillies. Turner's single in the bottom of the ninth inning knocked in two runs and gave the Phillies a 4-3 win over San Francisco. He says the team believes it will win regardless of the score and situation. "We've done it all year, especially at home. It feels like if we're within one or two runs in the eighth or ninth inning we put some pressure on them and get the job done. You never know what's going to happen," Turner said. The Phillies host the Giants again this afternoon.