Police in Allentown have a new murder investigation on their hands. An autopsy is planned for today on a 58-year-old man who was shot to death over the weekend in Allentown. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office says the unnamed man was shot around 1:45 Saturday morning in the 500 block of West Allen Street. That man died less than an hour later at the hospital. The coroner says the victim has been identified but the name is not yet being released.
First responders spent a good part of their Sunday afternoon looking for a person believed to have been hit by a train. The train's conductor said he thought he hit someone around 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon in the area of Railroad and West 16th streets in Northampton. After looking for several hours, crews left the scene having found nobody.
A home that was destroyed by a January 2020 arson, caught on fire again over the weekend. Fire officials reported the fire at the remains of the home on West Sunset Road in East Penn Township, Carbon County Saturday night. The cause of the most recent fire is undetermined at this time.
Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg said we'd get one-to-two inches of rain over the weekend and today he says that's exactly what we officially got at Lehigh Valley International Airport. "1.37 fell at the airport since it all began early Saturday," Lundberg says. He says more rain is likely both today and again tomorrow before we finally dry out Wednesday.
Indoor public smoking is essentially banned in Pennsylvania, except for inside casinos and bars. Allegheny County St. Rep. Dan Frankel would like that to change. Frankel has introduced legislation he says will fully ban indoor smoking at all Pennsylvania bars and casinos. He says he asked casino operators to discuss the issue. "They had the opportunity to come here and defend their decisions that allow and promote smoking, and they declined," Frankel says. Frankel’s bill would include not only tobacco cigarettes but also e-cigarettes by expanding the definition of smoking.
A Senate committee has approved legislation that would require school districts to post information about what educators are teaching in class and the books they are using. Senate Bill 340 would require schools to post an internet link or the title of every textbook for students in kindergarten through 12th grades. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee 7-4, with all Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats opposed. The General Assembly passed similar legislation two years ago but former Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed it.
A bill passed in the state Senate allows people who grow or process medical marijuana to sell their product straight to patients. Senate Bill 773, which won approval in a 44-3 vote late last week, specifies that all licensed cannabis growers and processors also be issued dispensary permits. The bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Chris Gebhard from Lebanon County, will likely have other measures added to it when it reaches the state House. Supporters say some of those could make it easier to further open up the commonwealth's marijuana laws.
New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has scheduled a news conference today in Hudson County. The news conference would be his first public appearance since a new round of indictments on federal bribery charges was announced against him Friday. He and his wife, who is also charged, are scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday. Over the weekend, leading Democrats called for Menendez to resign, including Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. Fetterman issued a statement saying, "He's entitled to the presumption of innocence under our system, but he is not entitled to continue to wield influence over national policy, especially given the serious and specific nature of the allegations. I hope he chooses an honorable exit and focuses on his trial." Murphy said, “The alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state.”
No matter the fate for New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, one Jersey Republican is making it clear he has no interest in his seat. "I have no interest in being in the United States Senate," ex-New Jersey governor and current GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie told NBC's "Meet the Press". He says he has never has had any interest in serving in the U.S. Senate. Menendez was indicted last week on bribery charges.
Despite reaching the Super Bowl last season and starting this season 2-0, Eagles center Jason Kelce says his team isn't taking anything for granted. "If you don't prepare and try to get better and have a very attentive mindset in meetings and out on the practice field there's trouble. I think where we're at right now is very good," Kelce says. Both the Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers hope to reach 3-0 when they meet tonight on Monday Night Football.