Allentown City Council is approving another investigation into allegations of discrimination at City Hall. The council voted 4-3 last night to hire a new investigator from Philadelphia to look into alleged discrimination by Mayor Matt Tuerk and his administration. The NAACP claimed in 2023 that minority city employees faced hostile work conditions. An investigation authorized by the council last June was suspended in December. The city spent about $113,000 on that investigation, but Tuerk has declined to pay that bill, which prompted City Council to sue the mayor. Preliminary estimates on what the new investigation will cost come in at around $450,000. Councilmembers Hendricks, Mota, Affa and Napoli voted in favor of the second investigation, while councilmembers Gerlach, Santos and Zucal voted against it.
There are now three people under arrest for the December 7th murder of Hector Gomez outside the Loco Hot Deals store on MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township. The third person arrested is Gomez's wife, 51-year-old Brenda Rodriguez, of Palmerton. Investigators say Rodriguez initially told them she didn't know who would want to shoot her husband, but eventually admitted she knew her husband was having an affair from the other woman's neighbor. That neighbor, Christian Martinez-Ramos and his ex-girlfriend, Liz Pacheco are also charged with the killing. Martinez-Ramos and Pacheco were allegedly contacted by Rodriguez and told she and her husband were in the store's parking lot. Minutes later a vehicle pulled up and Martinez-Ramos allegedly killed Gomez. On the way to the hospital, Gomez allegedly called the woman he was having an affair with and told her "the guy from upstairs shot me." Police say Martinez-Ramos eventually admitted to shooting Gomez to death and then fleeing the scene.
Two Bethlehem firefighters were injured while battling a massive house fire yesterday morning. Crews were sent to a home on West North Street, where officials said high winds caused the blaze to spread to three homes. Both firefighters were taken to the hospital but have since been released. No other injuries were reported. There's no word yet on what may have started the fire.
A 32-year-old Breinigsville man is dead after a crash Tuesday night in Lehigh County. Officials said a vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer at Route 100 and Weilers Road shortly after seven p.m. The victim was a passenger in the car, which was driven by a 31-year-old Easton resident. The tractor-trailer driver was a Florida man. Authorities are investigating.
Wegmans is recalling frozen chicken nuggets in eight states and the District of Columbia because there may be bone fragments in the packages. Pennsylvania and New Jersey are both included in that recall. The alert covers 46-ounce plastic packages containing “Wegmans Family Pack Fully Cooked Breaded Chicken Breast with Rib Meat” with a “best if used by” date of Aug. 26, 2025. That is located on the back of the packaging in the lower right corner. The product was produced Aug. 26, 2024.
Could your Friday morning drive be icy? Accu-Weather's Heather Zehr says maybe. "Road temperatures are still fairly low, so even if the temperature itself gets to 32 or higher by the time the rain kicks in, which is likely between 3 and 5am, road surfaces and sidewalks could still be cold enough to allow things to get icy," Zehr says. Zehr says it's a very close call and all depends on the timing of the rain and whether the temperature moving a degree or two higher earlier than expected.
Poconos-area Congressman Rob Bresnahan is speaking out about UGI's request to increase rates on natural gas customers. The company filed paperwork this week with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission requesting a ten-percent monthly increase for residential customers with increases also planned for commercial and industrial customers. Bresnahan says he is planning testimony against UGI's request in front of the commission. The congressman represents Pennsylvania's eighth Congressional district.
Gov. Shapiro says if President Trump is able to put his aid-and-grants freeze into effect it could have a big negative impact on many in Pennsylvania. "If the federal government cuts its funding, that creates massive pressure on the state legislature and governor to fill that gap. It also creates short term challenges as well," Shapiro says. The governor says more than 6000 state workers are funded by the federal government and are at risk of being furloughed based on which programs get frozen out.
Honda is recalling more than 290-thousand vehicles because they might stall or lose power. At issue is a problem wit the fuel injection electronic control unit. Affected models include Acura MDX Type S from 2022-2025, Acura TLX Type S from 2021 to 2021-2025 and Honda Pilots from 2023-2025.
A coffee company is coming out with a new blend that honors Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. ReAnimator Coffee Roasters says the Rusher's Roast Blend is the "freshest, fastest blend of coffee on planet earth." The company said proceeds from the coffee sales will be donated to The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. Rusher's Roast Blend is being sold on the ReAnimator website until the Super Bowl.
Former United States Sen. Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years behind bars for his participation in receiving bribes of gold and money, in addition to acting as a foreign agent. Following Wednesday's sentencing in Manhattan, Nenendez said the Southern District of New York is the "wild west of political prosecution." "President Trump is right. This process is political and it's corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system," Menendez said. Menendez called the case a "political witch hunt."