Bethlehem’s Moravian settlements became the 26th UNESCO World Heritage Site in the United States at an official inscription ceremony Thursday at Moravian University’s Foy Hall. The Bethlehem site spans 10 acres in downtown Bethlehem and includes nine structures, four ruins and God’s Acre cemetery. The oldest Bethlehem structures date to 1741. The vote by the World Heritage Committee to recognize the settlements was July 26, but Thursday’s ceremony made the designation official. Bethlehem joins the Grand Canyon, Independence Hall, Yellowstone National Park and others on the select list.
Former Lehigh Valley Republican Congressman Charlie Dent says he has already voted for Kamala Harris in this year's election. In a statement, Dent said he cast his ballot for Kamala Harris by mail last week. “Since the moment he rode down the gilded escalator in 2015, Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his unfitness to hold public office, culminating with his worst moment on Jan. 6, 2021. That day he incited a mob to attack the Capitol in a violent attempt to overturn the results of a democratic election and cling to power,” the former seven-term Congressman said.
Polls show the Susan Wild and Ryan Mackenzie race is close. Fundraising numbers are not. In the quarter from July to September, Wild's campaign pulled in $2.5 million in contributions, while Mackenzie only added $586,000 to his war chest in the same time frame. Wild's campaign was left with $929,000 to spend before Election Day, while Mackenzie was left with $307,000.
Lehigh County is losing a post office. The post office inside the Redner's Warehouse Market on Lehigh Street will close on November 17. It opened in that location 24 years ago.
It was a very brief school day Thursday for students at Whitehall High School. Due to a power outage, students there were dismissed at 9 o'clock Thursday morning.
A Pennsylvania mother will spend the rest of her life behind bars for the hanging deaths of her two young children. Lisa Snyder was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive sentences of life without parole. Snyder's eight-year-old and four-year-old children were found hanging by a cable dog lead in the basement of the family home in Albany Township in 2019. They were taken off life support several days later.
Former president Donald Trump will hold a campaign event in Lancaster County this weekend. Trump is hosting a town hall at the Lancaster Convention Center Sunday evening. The doors will open at two p.m, with the town hall scheduled to start at five. Tickets can be ordered online at the Trump campaign website.
A new study says Pennsylvania is one of the most accessible states in the U.S. for healthcare. According to Forbes Advisor, the Keystone State is ranked fifth for healthcare accessibility. The report used 14 metrics involving access to healthcare providers, healthcare facilities and the cost of healthcare to determine the rankings. Massachusetts was named the most accessible state, and Utah the least.
Internet gambling revenues reached new peaks in New Jersey last month, with record revenues exceeding 208-million dollars. But the state Division of Gaming Enforcement reports casinos must share the revenues with casinos' tech partners and therefore, the casinos consider revenues from in-person gambling to be their core business. For the third consecutive month, total gambling revenues in New Jersey exceeded a half-billion dollars.