We picked up more than three-and-a-half inches of rain so far this week. If that seems like a lot, Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says that's because it is. "We've had a month's worth of rain in the first three days of the month," Lundberg says. There's a chance for just a little more rain today, tomorrow and Saturday, but Lundberg says at best we're expecting maybe another tenth-of-an-inch any of those days.
Strong winds and a lot of rain have caused power outages across the state. PPL reports more than 20,000 of its customers were still without power as of 9am, including more than 3400 in Bucks County, more than 1400 in Northampton County and nearly 1300 in Lehigh County. First Energy reported more than 6100 of its customers were in the dark as of 9am. More than 3200 of those customers were in Berks County and another 1100 were spread out in Bucks, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties.
Because of power outages, some DeSales University students were told to evacuate and others strongly encouraged to return home if possible. DeSales says all University Villages and University Heights residents were told to evacuate Wednesday evening, while others were told they should leave if it was safe to do so. DeSales has cancelled all classes today and all offices are closed.
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk wants to sell an Allentown police station in the 1000 block of Hamilton Street. President of the Fraternal Order of Police Dave Benner is not a fan of the idea. "You selling this, or proposing it, before you have anything in place is backwards in how you're doing it," Benner told the mayor. Benner says if the plan moves ahead, he'd file an injunction to try to stop the sale. Tuerk says the idea of him selling the building and leaving police with nowhere to go is ridiculous. "It's preposterous that this administration, or any administration would leave some of our most critically needed employees hanging in the lurch," Tuerk said. As of now, the issue is moot because City Council voted to table the issue at Wednesday night's meeting.
An 18-year-old wanted for shooting a woman earlier this year in Bethlehem is now in custody. Police say Allen Grimes was arrested in New York City earlier this week. He's accused of shooting a 22-year-old woman in the neck on February 28 on Cherokee Street. A man who was with the victim at the time of the shooting said he and Grimes knew each other and he previously had a conflict with Grimes.
A 32-year-old man who authorities say nearly killed a Lehigh Valley resident nearly four years ago has been acquitted on all charges. Nathaniel Sanborn was found not guilty by a Northampton County jury of attacking of Hanover Township, Northampton County, man Joseph Bianco on May 13, 2020. Police said Bianco stopped to help Sanborn when he saw Sanborn stranded in the middle of Schoenersville Road, near the Westgate Mall. Bianco eventually took Sanborn to his home, where they spent a couple of hours. When Bianco later offered to take Sanborn to his car and get him gas, Sanborn took Bianco’s cellphone, then stabbed him 11 times. Sanborn isn't through with the legal system. He is facing other charges in Bucks, Luzerne and Northampton counties, including aggravated assault of a Northampton County Prison guard.
Water runoff between a wall and the road is being blamed for the wall collapsing Wednesday morning. It happened on Northampton Street in Easton where the old Jacob's Produce once stood. Authorities at the scene say when the building for Jacob's Produce was torn down, the wall was not properly reinforced and it fell, taking the sidewalk with it.
Leaders at the Greater Valley YMCA say the Allentown branch wellness center on South 15th Street will reopen in May. The branch has remained closed since June of last year due to fire damage that was so extensive the agency decided to shut it down. Only its child care center has opened back up since then. The branch is set to open its doors again on Monday, May 13th.
A state Senate committee is meeting today to hear about the reported benefits of having school start later in the morning. The hearing of the Senate Education Committee is set for 1 p.m. at the state Capitol. Supporters say that letting students sleep a little longer improves academic and athletic performance and is better for their overall emotional well-being. Legislation that would bar schools from starting the school day before 8:15 a.m. had been introduced in the state House by Representative Jill Cooper. She says reports have shown the consequences of sleep deprivation for teens can be especially serious.
Former coal mines sites in the state could soon be developed into solar farms. That's the plan for repurposing 27-hundred acres in the Pennsylvania Mineral Basin. State officials say the proposal has received $90 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. The project is designed to accelerate clean energy, create jobs and generating local tax revenue. Planners say the Mineral Basin project in Clearfield County will generate enough power from solar energy to run more than 70-thousand homes. There's been no timeline released on a start time for the project.