Nine properties were granted property-tax breaks by Northampton County Council Thursday night. However, two happening on Easton's Centre Square met with some resistance. County Council voted 8-1 in favor of a property-tax break for a $25 million seven-story hotel and the $3.4 million redevelopment of the old National Bank Building, which will feature restaurants and residential units. Commissioner Ron Heckman was the lone 'no' vote, saying he supports tax breaks for affordable housing, but not for private businesses. The tax break eliminates 100% of property taxes on property improvements, but not the land itself. The tax break gradually drops over a decade before going away entirely. Supporters say the plan builds development now while building a tax base in the future.
The Northampton County DA has charged the 19-year-old daughter of Easton City Councilwoman and state House candidate Taiba Sultana with defacing a political yard sign that attacks Sultana. Investigators say Imaan Malik and Sultana's two younger children defaced a sign that reads: VOTE NO. TAIBA SULTANA. CRAZY CHAOTIC CRIMINAL. The signs were not made by Sultana's opponent, incumbent St. Rep. Bob Freeman, but rather by the PA Citizens Political Action Committee. Sultana says her daughter denies the charges and her two younger children "are traumatized."
A second Philadelphia Eagle will be participating in today's Iron Menace Ride for a Cause event at Dorney Park. In addition to the previously-announced safety Reed Blankenship, Eagles kick returner Britain Covey will be at Dorney Park. Both players will take part in a Q&A with fans at 6pm. The event begins an hour earlier with select rides available and food being served. All proceeds benefit the Eagles Autism Foundation.
A Monroe County fire has left a man dead and a woman hurt. The fire broke out just after 2 o'clock Thursday morning at a home on North Easton Belmont Pike in Hamilton Township. Blue Ridge Hook and Ladder Asst. Chief Paul Warnick says the fire was a tough one to control. "It's a 1900's constructed farm house. So we were dealing with a heavy timber frame structure. It was hot," Warnick says. After the blaze was extinguished, the body of a man was found inside. A woman was taken to the hospital for her injuries. The investigation is ongoing.
Gov. Josh Shapiro says Pennsylvania students will soon take standardized tests online rather than with a paper and pencil. The governor says it's a change that will certainly help teachers. "These tests put a huge burden on teachers, who are responsible for receiving and sorting and labeling and distributing and administering and then boxing up these exams and shipping back the original test booklets. That's on top of their normal and extraordinarily important teaching duties that they have every day," the governor says. Shapiro says moving the exams online will cut the amount of time students need to spend on standardized testing by about 30 minutes and for students taking multiple tests on several subjects, the move will save between 90 minutes and two hours.
State lawmakers are considering a proposal to establish a Stand Your Ground law in New Jersey. The bill would expand the use of force when acting in self-defense. Stand Your Ground laws became controversial more than a decade ago when George Zimmerman used it as a defense in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The Republican-backed proposal is expected to fail in the Democratic-controlled legislature.
It's that time of year when black bears emerge from their winter's sleep and begin their search for food -- which often leads them to trash cans in residential neighborhoods. New Jersey is trying to help homeowners by sending bear-resistant trash cans to six cities that record the highest number of incidents involving black bears and trash cans.