An unnamed 28-year-old woman is dead after a fire that began around 6:30 Sunday morning at 915 North Penn Street in Allentown. Allentown Fire Captain John Christopher says it didn't take long for the flames to spread to neighboring row houses. "The fire quickly spread and just rolled under these porch roofs," Christopher says. Four other residents were taken to the hospital, two of whom were treated and released. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries. Four homes were left uninhabitable and eight homes overall were damaged.
Three people were killed in a crash involving a tanker truck on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Saturday. The accident was reported just before 10:30 a.m. between the Mid-County and Lansdale exits. State Police say a car had suffered a flat tire, and a second vehicle stopped behind it, with the hazard lights activated. They were both hit from behind by a tanker carrying jet fuel, which burst into flames. All three drivers were declared dead of their injuries; their names have not been released. The highway was shut down for several hours for cleaning and investigations, and area residents were evacuated as a precaution.
Pennsylvania Congressman Dan Meuser is officially a candidate for speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Meuser’s name was on a list of nine candidates for the job posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the House Republican Conference chair. The Republicans had until noon Sunday to declare their candidacies. The 59-year-old Meuser lives in Luzerne County and represents the 9th Congressional District, which includes Schuylkill and part of Berks counties.
Voters have until close of business today to register to vote in the November elections. Mail ballots applications are also due soon, on October 31st. Elections officials say completed mail ballots must be received by the board of elections by the time polls close at 8 p.m. November 7th in order to be counted.
Allegheny County Democrat St. Rep. Dan Miller is co-sponsoring a bill that would give striking workers access to unemployment benefits. "Workers have rights. They should be able to access them," Miller says. The bill passed a committee vote along party lines, with all Republicans, including Lehigh Valley St. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie voting no. "We're now going to be extending new benefits and we don't yet have a way to pay for that," Mackenzie says. Workers say with unemployment pay, many of them would be level with regular pay. Opponents say that would give striking workers no reason to return to the bargaining table.
After suffering their first loss last Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles bounced back on Sunday Night Football with a 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. Darius Slay, who had a crucial fourth quarter interception, says the win was an important show of character. "That's how you answer. That's what the great teams do in this league. They answer back. Don't let it dwell. Don't let it linger. We did a great job coming out here and handling business, being physical and going out here and competing each and every play," Slay says. The Eagles move to 6-1 and visit Washington this Sunday. Miami drops to 5-2.
It's game six of the NLCS in Philadelphia. The Phillies lead the series 3-2 and a big reason why is Bryce Harper. Manager Rob Thomson says Harper comes up the biggest when the games mean the most. "He's as good as it gets. He might be the best I've been around. Watching him on a daily basis and looking at his playoff numbers since he's been here, it's astounding," Thomson says. Harper is hitting .343 with five home runs so far in the postseason. Game six begins at 5:08 in Philadelphia.