Despite the protests of residents and business owners, Bethlehem City Council has voted to tear down the Walnut Street Garage. The Bethlehem Parking Authority says the garage, which was built in 1976 and can handle 770 vehicles, is "past its useful life" and is only about 40-percent occupied. Opponents say the city has no concrete plans in place to replace the garage and demolition will hurt the city's businesses during the Christmas season. The authority says it has plans for a new garage that would take up about half the footprint of the current garage, coming in at six stories tall with around 590 spaces. Demolition will begin in January.
Property taxes are staying as is in Northampton County. County Executive Lamont McClure released his proposed budget Tuesday morning and says he will keep property taxes unchanged in 2024. County Council will hold budget hearings before voting on the plan.
Students at Lafayette College will have to find somewhere else to have breakfast and lunch. Miss Jackson’s Kitchen opened last September but plans to close this Friday afternoon. The eatery along McCartney Street in Easton’s College Hill was a popular spot for Lafayette students. No reason has been given for the closing.
Gas prices have dropped quite a bit over the past seven days. According to AAA East Central, the average price across the commonwealth dropped four cents to $3.86 as of Tuesday. That's a dime higher than one year ago. In the Lehigh Valley, the average price dropped nearly eight cents down to $3.74, which is 11 cents higher than last October 3.
Vandals hit Pennico Park in Bangor once again over the weekend. This time, breaking glass fixtures in the pavilion, breaking a table and using a children's slide as a toilet. Bangor police Chief Kevin Jones says it was all caught on camera and he has the message for the individuals who are responsible. "They will be caught and they will be arrested," Jones says. The park is closed for repairs but may reopen as soon as next week.
Pennsylvania Congressional Representatives Matt Cartwright and Susan Wild joined with other House Democrats and eight Republicans yesterday in voting to oust Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House. The final vote total was 216 to 210. The vote to remove McCarthy was pushed by those on the far right who were outraged in recent days by the now former-speaker's push for a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open.
Democrats in the Pennsylvania House are now back in the majority. The 101-to-101 tie for power was broken when new Democratic state Representative Lindsay Powell was sworn in Monday. Her addition gives Democrats a one-member majority in the chamber as the party now holds 102 seats. The chamber had been deadlocked since a member resigned over the summer break to run for another office.
Back in 2019 the Eastern Hellbender was named Pennsylvania's state amphibian. As of this week, it's now on Pennsylvania license plates. Emma Stone is formerly with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Student Leadership Council and says the new license plate is about more than giving the Eastern Hellbender a shout-out. "This license plate is something carries on into adulthood. When you see this license plate, you'll ask what it is. It starts a conversation about conservation which is so important," Stone says. The Hellbender plate costs $41 and $15 of that goes toward the wildlife resource conservation.
Local residents should be on alert this afternoon for a nationwide emergency alert test. All cell phones, wireless devices, radios and televisions will display an alert at 2:20 this afternoon. No action is needed. The national test typically takes place every three years.
New Jersey U.S. Senator Bob Menendez could be facing more charges in his federal bribery case. Prosecutors reportedly telling a federal judge in New York on Monday that more criminal charges could be coming in the next few weeks even as the judge scheduled jury selection for May 6th. Menendez, his wife Nadine and three New Jersey businessmen face corruption charges involving alleged influence-peddling in exchange for gold bars, cash, a Mercedes and more foreign aid for Egypt. The judge wants all evidence turned over to defense lawyers by December.
The Phillies are up 1-0 on Miami in their best-of-three playoff series after beating the Marlins 4-1 Tuesday night. "The atmosphere and the adrenaline got me going. As soon as I stepped foot out of the dugout to go stretch out in the bullpen, the crowd went nuts and I got chills. It started right there and I think it carried me over into throwing the baseball," Wheeler said. Game two is tonight in Philadelphia. Aaron Nola pitches for the Phillies.