Some residents in Northampton County are advised to shelter in place because of an ongoing police incident. Police are on Steven Lane in Lehigh Township, near Walnutport. The shelter-in-place order was issued just before 6 this morning for surrounding neighborhoods. Authorities have been on scene though since 11:30 last night when police were initially called to the area for a welfare check.
Incumbent Democrat Congresswoman Susan Wild now knows who she'll be facing in her re-election bid this November. St. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie won the GOP primary on Tuesday and in his victory speech offered a likely theme to his campaign. "We know that a wide open border is causing havoc in this entire country. We know that inflation is hurting the pocket books of working Americans. We know that the policies and Joe Biden and Susan Wild are destroying our country," Mackenzie said. Mackenzie earned 43-percent of the vote in the three person race. He defeated Kevin Dellicker by 4700 votes and Maria Montero by almost 11,000.
While there are still some mail-in ballots left to be counted, the winners in the Lehigh Valley's three contested state House races have been determined. In the Democrat primary in the 136th House District, incumbent Bob Freeman turned aside the challenge of Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana by more than 2800 votes. In the 131st District, Meriam Sabih won the Democrat primary over Jay Santos by more than 2500 votes and in the GOP primary in the 183rd House District, incumbent Zachary Mako easily defeated Zachari Halkias by about 3200 votes.
Former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale earned the Democratic nod in the race for Attorney General, while York County District Attorney Dave Sunday won the Republican nomination. Current AG Michelle Henry chose not to run, after replacing Josh Shapiro when he became governor. In the Auditor General's race, GOP incumbent Tim DeFoor ran unopposed and faces Democratic Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, who defeated Lehigh County controller Marc Pinsley by about 210,000 votes. Treasurer Stacy Garrity ran unopposed in the Republican primary and will go up against Democratic nominee Erin McClelland.
Two years ago, Dave McCormick narrowly lost the GOP Senate primary. Tuesday, he ran unopposed and will take on incumbent Democrat Bob Casey this November. "We're so excited about being the nominee for the Republican Party and to win the Senate seat in 2024," McCormick said. Casey is running for his fourth term and is already the state's longest serving Democratic senator in history.
The pain at the gas pump continues to be just a bit more painful. According to AAA East Central, the average price for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania is $3.81 as of Tuesday, up eight cents from last Tuesday and three cents higher than one year ago. In the Lehigh Valley, the average price is $3.78 a gallon, up 12 cents from last week and four cents higher than April, 2023.
A 39-year-old man is hospitalized after being hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Daly Ave. and Hayes St. in Bethlehem just after 4 Tuesday morning. The driver stopped at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
There were some nervous moments Tuesday morning in Coopersburg after reports of a gas leak in the area of South Ninth Street, near State Street. A construction crew was working in the area, however it's not yet known what may have caused the leak.
A report just released by the American Lung Association shows air quality in the Garden State has improved in recent years -- but more work remains. The report attributes the improvement to better tailpipe emission controls and the closing of coal-powered plants. New Jersey's air quality has historically been bad because of the prevalence of factories and power plants. It also has one of the worst death rates due to asthma of all states. Results of high ozone rates for New Jersey counties varied, even when for those next to each other. Bergen County received a failing grade for number of high ozone days, while Passaic County received an A grade for no ozone days. Smoke from Canadian wildfires last year is expected to push down New Jersey's rates further when next year's report is issued.
A star player on the Philadelphia 76ers is taking home a major award. Tyrese Maxey was named the NBA's Most Improved Player on Tuesday night. The 23-year-old had a breakout season, averaging career-highs in points with 25.9 and assists with 6.2. He was selected to his first All-Star game after transitioning into the starting point guard position following James Harden's departure to the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason.