It appears a Slatington home is going to be a total loss after an overnight fire. The fire began before 1 o'clock this morning in a home in the 400 block of Second Street. Four people inside the home suffered what are described as minor to moderate injuries. There's no word on what may have caused the fire.
A New Jersey man is charged with murder after his wife was found dead in Lehigh County. Rolando Corte is accused of killing 39-year-old Lucretia Sumba, whose body was found in a dumpster outside a Santander Bank in Coopersburg last weekend. Sumba, a mother of four, was reported missing on January 9th. The victim's son reportedly told officers that his parents were having marital issues and that Corte told him "only Corte and God knows what happened," when asked where Sumba was. Investigators say during a search of the victim's home, they found suspected blood in the kitchen area and the hallway outside of the bathroom. The day after Sumba disappeared, a witness told police that Corte admitted to killing his wife.
The Lehigh County District Attorney wants the current and former Allentown police officers charged with rape back in jail. The DA's office has filed an emergency petition to reset the bail for Evan Weaver and Jason Krasley to no bail. Weaver and Krasley are accused of forcing a prostitute to engage in sex acts under threat of arrest. A hearing on the petition is set for Friday.
40-year-old Joshua Gonzalez will be sentenced March 31st after pleading guilty to 20 counts of possession of child pornography. Gonzalez, who at one time worked as an agent with the Pennsylvania attorney general's office, faces 70-140 years in prison.
The Wilson Borough Police Department is investigating an armed robbery that happened Monday morning. The robbery happened just after 4:30 Monday morning at the Penn Jersey Gas Station. A suspect, described as a light skinned man wearing a mask, entered the store, showed a gun and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. He drove off in a dark colored SUV.
The former Banana Factory in Bethlehem has a new name. The ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL is the new name of the building, which will be torn down and rebuilt over the course of the next year. When it opens in late 2026, it will be a five-story, 78,500-square-foot building that officials say will be a state-of-the-art visual, performing arts and education hub. Nearly $26 million of the estimated $32 million needed to build it has been raised.
We've had several minor snow falls this winter and Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg thinks another one is coming tomorrow. "I don't think it's very much. A covering is all it'll be for us in the Lehigh Valley. I think up in the Poconos they've have a better chance of getting an inch of snow," Lundberg says. Lundberg says there's another chance for minor snow again this weekend and again mid-week next week.
The Red Cross is encouraging Pennsylvanians to volunteer. The American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania says anyone looking to make a difference this year can join the organization. Volunteers are needed to assist people displaced by house fires, help military families, and deliver blood to hospitals after blood drives. More than 34-hundred people volunteered with the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania last year.
Treasurer Stacy Garrity says the annual contribution limit for PA ABLE, a savings program for people with disabilities, has increased. Garrity says the limit has now increased from $18,000 to $19,000. Garrity says that account owners who are employed may be able to contribute beyond the $19,000 limit.
NJ Governor Phil Murphy is calling for a universal ban on student cell phones in grades K through 12 in his State of the State address. "They are fueling a rise in cyber bullying and they are making it incredibly difficult for our kids, not only to learn, but to retain the substance of what they learn," Murphy says. The New Jersey Education Association, a teachers' union, supports the ban but wants schools to be able to have their own controls.
South Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew says he's helping draft an executive order for President-elect Trump that would ban wind projects. Van Drew says he blames the Biden Administration for advancing offshore projects without proper oversight. Trump has said wind projects are responsible for killing whales despite the lack of scientific evidence to prove that.
Penn State football is losing a key piece of its offense to the NFL. Tyler Warren is forgoing his final year of college eligibility and declared for the draft on Monday. Warren took home the Mackey Award this season, which is given to college football's best tight end. He's considered the top player in his position heading into April's draft.