Lehigh Valley Health Network has agreed to pay $65 million to settle a lawsuit over a cyberattack where nude patient photos were leaked on the dark web. The agreement settles a class action lawsuit filed in March 2023 by a cancer patient from Lackawanna County on behalf of her and other patients affected by the invasion of privacy. LVHN publicly disclosed the cyberattack in February 2023 and said the group, believed to be a ransomware gang with ties to Russia, hacked into a physician's office in Lackawanna County and then posted to the dark web pictures of LVHN cancer patients and personal documents of nearly 2800 patients. The court must approve the settlement in a final hearing scheduled for November 15. No payment will be sent out until after that. All claims for additional, out-of-pocket expenses must be submitted by November 3.
A large response was needed after a rowhome fire in Lehigh County last night. A three-alarm blaze was reported on the 2700 block of Diane Boulevard, which is very close to Lehigh Valley International Airport. No residents were injured, but one firefighter was taken to the hospital. The firefighter is expected to be ok. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Members of the SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew performed the first private spacewalk Thursday morning. Tech entrepreneur and Lehigh Valley resident Jared Isaacman described what he saw while outside the spacecraft. "Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, it looks like a perfect world," Isaacman said. All four crew members on board were exposed to the vacuum of space but only Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis left the capsule.
Vice President Kamala Harris faces scrutiny for changing her stance on fracking, which she once said she wanted to ban. Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick emphasizes the importance of fracking in his commonwealth. "This is the single most important industry. We have 600,000 jobs here in Pennsylvania from fracking. But that's just the beginning of what it could be if we had energy dominance and unlock the potential. Kamala Harris has said many times that she wanted to ban fracking and transition energy workers," McCormick said.
Pennsylvania has a new program to help pay for schools to add solar panels, but it doesn't have any money for it. Governor Josh Shapiro on Monday signed a new law that creates the Solar for Schools program to cover half the cost of solar projects at public schools and community colleges. While lawmakers agreed on the idea of a new solar panel construction fund, they didn't agree on how to pay for it. Still, lawmakers are touting the Solar for Schools program as an 'innovative' way to help both schools and Pennsylvania's building trade unions.
Kamala Harris will be rallying in northwestern Pennsylvania this evening. The Vice President will make a stop at the McHale Athletic Center at Wilkes University. The rally comes after Harris was in Philadelphia on Tuesday for her first debate against former President Trump. Today's visit will mean some traffic changes in Wilkes-Barre. Specifically Academy, Market and River Streets will all be closed at times throughout the day. Police say that will also cause delays on George Avenue and Wilkes-Barre Boulevard. The State Police say I-81 and Route 309 could also see some traffic delays because of the VP's stop.
State officials continue their pursuit of bringing the Philadelphia 76ers to the Garden State. Yesterday, a state agency released an artist's rendering of what an arena for the team would look like. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority's rendering shows a proposed arena on the waterfront next to a dock for a ferry to carry fans from Philadelphia. The proposed bridge would sit north of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Over the Labor Day weekend, the agency sent a letter to the 76ers offering 400-million-dollars in tax incentives if the basketball team moves to Camden, where they already practice. The proposed site in Camden is owned by the state and is shovel-ready.