There are still more questions than answers after two emergency calls early Wednesday morning in Lehigh County. Police say a 29-year-old man was shot on Welshtown Road in Washington Township around 12:30 Wednesday morning. Authorities believe that incident stemmed from an argument about a girl. There's no word on the victim's condition or whether an arrest has been made. About ten minutes after the shooting was reported a car hit a tree and telephone pole just down the road from the shooting. Investigators are not saying whether the two incidents are connected.
Officials say a stabbing happened in Allentown just after 6 Wednesday morning. Police say it occurred in the 1100 Block of Linden Street. The victim is expected to make a full recovery from their wounds.
A fire was reported in a Bethlehem Township home Tuesday afternoon. The fire started around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday night and firefighters didn't leave the scene in the 3100 block of Christine Street until about 14 hours later. Three residents were treated and released from a local hospital.
A 49-year-old North Whitehall woman whose mistreatment of a 1-year-old foster child left the girl with a brain injury will serve up to four years in state prison. Brenda Broadwater pleaded guilty in December to aggravated assault of a victim under 13 and endangering the welfare of children by a parent or guardian. The incident happened Jan. 26, 2024, in Broadwater’s home on Coplay Creek Road. Judge Robert Steinberg on Wednesday sentenced Broadwater to serve 18 to 48 months.
The process of decriminalizing marijuana possession in Easton moved forward Wednesday night. City Council gave its initial approval to putting marijuana possession on the same level as a traffic ticket. Councilman Frank Pintabone is pushing the idea, but wants a two-tiered fine system in place for possessing the drug and actually using it. "If you're caught with a small amount of marijuana in your possession your first offense would be $25, the second offense $35, the third offense $45. What that means if you have a little marijuana in your hand, in your pocket, in your book bag and you're not smoking it, you have a small amount, that's what I'm proposing the fines to be," Pintabone said. Under the ordinance, someone caught smoking marijuana in public would receive a first offense fine of $150, a second offense fine of $250 and a third offense fine of $300. Subsequent offenses would be the jurisdiction of federal and Pennsylvania laws. A second and final vote on the plan is expected next month.
Lehigh Valley Health Network's Blue Envelope Program is expanding to Northampton County. LVHN says it is teaming up with the Northampton County Police Chiefs Association to implement the program, which helps communication between special-needs drivers and police officers. In the program, drivers carry a blue envelope in their vehicle. That envelope states the driver is on the autism spectrum, instructions for the driver on how to handle a traffic stop and tips for the officer to help make their interaction with the driver as easy as possible. Those blue envelopes can be obtained at police departments in both Lehigh and Northampton counties and at www.lvhn.org/blueenvelope.
St. Luke's University Health Network unveiled a painting yesterday honoring a Lehigh Valley legend. The St. Luke's Easton campus dedicated a watercolor portrait of former boxing heavyweight champion Larry Holmes. The painting was commissioned to recognize Holmes' work with the healthcare system. Holmes has served as a spokesperson for St. Luke's for over a decade.
Amtrak is ending bus service between Reading and Philadelphia. The company announced it is discontinuing service next month following an "extensive evaluation." Amtrak said the route was not generating enough revenue to sustain the service. Bus service between Reading and Philadelphia ends on March 18th.
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is getting an early start to the country's 250th anniversary celebrations. A display was unveiled in the East Wing Rotunda yesterday that proudly features some of the commonwealth's contributions to the nation. They include the Liberty Bell, Crayola Crayons, and Punxsutawney Phil. More displays and events are expected to be announced in the months leading up to the celebrations next year.
UPMC Memorial Hospital is open again after the shooting last weekend. Hospital officials say the ICU and other surgical departments are open, but patients remain limited to two visitors. West York Police Officer Andrew Duarte was killed in the shooting on Saturday, while two other officers and four hospital employees were injured. Duarte's funeral is scheduled for Friday.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office is warning residents about a new scam involving Bitcoin. AG Dave Sunday says scammers are targeting people with messages about how they must "protect their money" or "take care of any criminal charges." The victims are then coerced into sending a large amount of cash to the scammers by using a Bitcoin ATM. The AG's Office says real businesses and government agencies will never ask for payment in Bitcoin, gift cards, or wire transfers.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is proposing a 58-billion-dollar budget for the 2026 fiscal year. It's the largest budget in New Jersey history and contains a $1.2 billion budget gap. However, Murphy says "We can lead our state responsibility and pragmatically, while never letting go of our willingness to dream." The second-term Democrat, who's term-limited, says his budget contains full funding for the Garden State's education system and emphasized the responsibility to deliver economic security to all New Jerseyans. In terms of taxes, Murphy said expect them to go up on sports betting, internet gaming, alcohol and tobacco. The Governor and state lawmakers are required by law to have a new budget in place by July 1st.
Flags across the Garden State will be flown at half-staff tomorrow in the memory of former Assembly Speaker Chuck Hardwick, who died last week. Hardwick passed away February 19th at the age of 73. He had battled ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, for the past year. He represented Union County from 1978 until 1992 and was Assembly Speaker from 1985 to 1990.
Some scary moments Wednesday for Phillies fans when first baseman Bryce Harper was hit by a pitch near his surgically repaired right elbow. After the game, manager Rob Thomson said his star player will be fine. "It's a contusion around the triceps area. We're not really overly concerned at all," Thomson says. Harper will not play in today's game, but was scheduled for a day off before being hit.