The Allentown City Council is filing a lawsuit against Mayor Matt Tuerk and his finance director. The lawsuit claims Tuerk's administration is not paying the bills for a council-approved investigation into allegations of discrimination and harassment of employees at City Hall. The mayor previously claimed the contract for the person hired to conduct the investigation was "void" because the council did not correctly follow procedures. The lawsuit is asking the court to prohibit Tuerk from interfering with the investigation.
Suspicious batteries are what caused Bethlehem City's bomb squad to respond to a home in Lower Nazareth Township late Saturday night. The incident happened at a home on Willow Lane near Hemlock Lane. The Colonial Regional Police say residents of the house had purchased storage unit items in New York City, and when they opened the items, some of them looked suspicious. Police responded and determined the items to be suspicious and called the Bethlehem Fire Department Bomb Squad, which determined the items to be nothing more than a safe collection of batteries.
The search is on for a new superintendent of the Whitehall-Coplay School District. The school board during a special meeting accepted the resignation of Superintendent Robert Steckel, effective Dec. 2. Steckel became Whitehall-Coplay's superintendent in 2021.
There will be a change of venue in the trial of accused murderer Bryan Kohberger in Idaho. Judge John Judge okayed the defense's motion to change the venue on Monday. Lawyers for Kohberger cited a "mob mentality" as the reason they wanted a location change from the town of Moscow, where the University of Idaho is. The Poconos native and DeSales University graduate is accused of killing four students in their off campus house in 2022. The trial is set to begin in June but Judge didn't say where it would be taking place.
Governor Josh Shapiro announced new grants for Pennsylvania schools yesterday. Shapiro says the state is committing a total of 75-million dollars to assist 109 school districts with environmental repair. The funds are meant to help districts eliminate environmental hazards including lead, mold, and asbestos on campuses. The announcement was made at Antietam School District in Berks County, which dealt with severe flooding last year.
Sen. John Fetterman tells CNN he thinks tonight's presidential debate in Philadelphia will prove important with recent polling showing a very tight race in Pennsylvania and several other swing states as well. "It comes down to that very same, very stark case. I have said this before. It going to be close," Fetterman says. You can hear tonight's Kamala Harris-Donald Trump debate beginning at 9pm on WAEB.
A remembrance event will be held tomorrow at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County. Wednesday marks 23 years since the attacks of September 11th, 2001. Hijackers took control of four airplanes that morning that were eventually crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington and a field in Shanksville. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to make an appearance at the Flight 93 memorial tomorrow though details of their visit have not been released.
Democrat George Helmy has been sworn in to fill the remainder of former Senator Bob Menendez' term in office. Helmy was appointed by Governor Murphy after Menendez resigned following his conviction on corruption charges last month. Helmy stood with Senator Cory Booker as he took the oath of office. However, Helmy's term will be short as the six-year term expires at the start of 2025.
The widow of the late hockey player Johnny Gaudreau says she's pregnant with their third child. Meredith Gaudreau announced the news at her husband's memorial service yesterday in Pennsylvania. The NHL star and his brother Matthew were hit and killed by an alleged drunk driver on August 29th while they were biking in southern New Jersey, a day before their sister was to be married. Meredith and Johnny also have a two-year-old daughter and seven-month-old son. Matthew Gaudreau's widow is also pregnant with the couple's first child.