Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz will return to Pennsylvania this weekend. The Kamala Harris campaign says the Minnesota Governor will speak at a rally in Allentown on Saturday. The location of the rally has not been announced. Walz has made several stops in the commonwealth since he was announced as Harris's running mate last month, but this is his first trip to the Lehigh Valley.
Lehigh Valley residents expecting mail-in ballots for the November election should receive them in a few weeks. Top election officials in both Lehigh and Northampton counties say they plan to begin mailing those ballot early next month.
Applications for mail ballots are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 29. The deadline for county election offices to receive completed mail-in ballots is 8 p.m. Nov. 5.
Bethlehem City Council on Tuesday passed a measure aiming to get all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes off Bethlehem streets. The measure adopted Tuesday imposes a fine of anywhere from $50 to $200 on anyone caught riding an ATV, dirt bike or snowmobile on any of the city’s highways, sidewalks or pedal cycle lanes. The fines increase with an additional offense. In addition, gas station owners and operators who sell gas to those riders who violate the law could be penalized. Also, police could seize or impound the vehicle.
Four international students at Lehigh University have been expelled and arrested for allegedly using false information to get admitted. Officials say the students, all from Ghana, submitted fake transcripts to get accepted. According to officers, the four had each already received more than 100-thousand-dollars in financial aid by the time the fraudulent transcripts were discovered. They are charged with forgery and theft of services.
One person was taken to the hospital after a vehicle crashed into a building yesterday. Authorities in Bethlehem Township say the wreck happened on the 5100 block of Freemansburg Avenue, but no other details are known at this time. An investigation is underway.
The Parkland School District Board of Directors has been shown an updated plan for expanding Parkland High School. The district's plan for the high school involves additional classroom spaces, a ninth-grade wing, a cafeteria and large group learning spaces. The original design expansion will add approximately 26 classrooms, eight science labs, four large group instruction spaces, four general labs, and additional cafeteria and nurse's suite space.
A new law in Pennsylvania took effect Monday that allows bars, restaurants and stores to begin selling canned cocktails and one big grocery store chain is already doing so. Giant says the cocktails will be available in almost all of its stores that previously could only sell beer and wine. Only 192 ounces of the drinks can be purchased in a single transaction, which is the case for wine and beer as well.
Pennsylvania is certifying the candidates list who will appear on the November ballot in the state. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling which rejects independent candidate Cornel West from appearing on the November ballot. With that settled, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt has now certified the official list of candidates who will appear on the ballot. Those candidates are Democratic nominee Vice President Harris, Republican nominee former President Trump, Green party nominee Jill Stein and Libertarian Party nominee Chase Oliver.
A Congressional task force that is investigating the Pennsylvania assassination attempt of Donald Trump is asking for additional information from the FBI. The group has sent a request for documents and interview transcripts that are related to the July shooting. They specifically asked for records investigators have on local law enforcement in Western Pennsylvania. They also want the transcripts of interviews with the immediate family of gunman Thomas Crooks and owners and members of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club.
A longtime running iconic amusement park in Ocean City, New Jersey will be shutting down at the end of the season next month. The owner Jay Gillian is retiring and says Gillian's Wonderland Pier has been too much of a challenge to run financially. Gillian, who is also Ocean City's mayor, spoke to hundreds of people over the weekend about the decision. He partially blames New Jersey's increase in the minimum wage and damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. It's unclear yet what the developer is going to do with the property.