I-78 eastbound in Northampton County had to be shut down for about three hours Tuesday morning after a dump truck carrying manure and mushroom soil overturned, spilling its load. The crash, which also involved a car, happened near the Route 412 exit in Lower Saucon Township. The truck driver suffered a minor injury. There's no word yet on what caused the accident.
Lehigh Valley International Airport reports more than 70,000 passengers traveled through the airport last month, marking the highest February number since 2020 and an eight percent increase over last February.
According to a report, there were more than 65,000 tarmac delays at American airports in 2023. Lehigh Valley International Airport ranked 35th for tarmac delays among small hub American airports, with 650 departure and 599 arrival tarmace delays lasting more than one hour. Those numbers are per 100,000 flights. Among large hub airports, Newark had the second most delays and Philadelphia the fourth most.
Gas prices jumped up quite a bit over the past seven days. AAA East Central says the average price of a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania stood at $3.58 on Tuesday, seven cents more than one week earlier and one cent less than a year ago. In the Lehigh Valley, gas cost $3.49 a gallon on Tuesday, also seven cents more than the previous week and four cents more than one year ago.
Authorities have arrested the fourth and final suspect linked to the SEPTA mass shooting earlier this month in Philadelphia. 17-year-old Asir Boone was taken into custody in Virginia. Robert Clark, with the U.S. Marshals, describes Boone at the time of his arrest. "Our deputies described him more as he looked relieved, he looked tired," Clark says. Three other suspects were each charged with attempted murder and other related offenses. Eight teens were shot back on March 6th. All are expected to survive.
A measure that would allow consumers more control over the personal information they give to businesses is moving forward in the state House. On a vote of 139 to 62, the House has approved creating a new state law that would be called the Consumer Data Privacy Act. Among other provisions, it would allow consumers to delete their data and opt out from having it used in targeted ad campaigns. The bill still needs approval in the state Senate. If adopted, the new rules would be enforced by the attorney general's office.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case about how much local governments have to pay when they're sued. The proceedings test the constitutionality of a 40-year-old state law that limits that amount of damages at 250-thousand-dollars. The case stems from a young woman who was injured in a bus crash and sued the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. A Philly County court awarded Hailey Freilich damages of seven-million-dollars but state liability says she can't receive that full amount. Her attorneys have said that amount would only cover a sliver of her recovery costs for her extensive injuries.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop says he made a mistake in his initial endorsement of Tammy Murphy in the U.S. Senate race and has switched his support to Congressman Andy Kim. In making the switch, Fulop urged Murphy to drop out of the race. Fulop says he made his decision after watching the county conventions and decided Kim is the better candidate and has a better chance of success in the general election. Fulop is one of three candidates for governor next year when incumbent Phil Murphy leaves office due to term limits.
As anti-semitic incidents and other hate crimes increase, New Jersey is distributing so-called bleeding control kits to houses of worship. The kits contain emergency medical supplies -- such as bandages, gauze and chest seals -- in case of a shooting or another attack. The state's Homeland Security Office says the kits are not being distributed because of any specific threat, but are meant to improve active shooter incident survival. The state plans to distribute more than seven-thousand kits to every house of worship in New Jersey.
People down the Jersey Shore are ready for summer, but weeks of winter storms left some Atlantic City beaches badly eroded ahead of the summer tourism season. Those storms completely destroyed Hard Rock casino's beach bar, whose wreckage remains littered across the sand. Resorts, Hard Rock and the Ocean Casino Resort are pressing the state and federal governments for funding to fast-track a beach replenishment project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the current best-case scenario is new sand won't be hitting the beaches until late summer.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin is launching a public awareness campaign for responsible gaming. The announcement comes during Problem Gambling Awareness Month, which is aimed at increasing public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Platkin says the resources available will help people identify when gambling activities become addicting despite an increasing toll on finances, health, employment, and personal relationships.
The Parkland boys basketball team will be in the PIAA 6-A championship game this Saturday night. Parkland beat Archbishop Wood 59-51 Tuesday night to advance. Parkland will play Central York Saturday night at 8 at Giant Center in Hershey. It's Parkland's first appearance in a state title game since 2004.