An ex-Lehigh County school teacher who spent a lot of time in court wants to go back there. The former Allentown middle school teacher who was fired after attending the "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington D.C. on Jan.6, 2021 is seeking more than $3 million in attorney's fees and other costs he claims the Allentown School District should be responsible for. Last August, Jason Moorehead was awarded $131,500 by a federal jury following a two-week trial. Moorehead's filing claims his constitutional rights were violated by the Allentown School District and that he was wrongly fired and falsely accused of participating in the Capitol Hill riot. The school district's legal counsel says Moorehead's attorneys' fees are "outrageously excessive" and "simply do not reflect the Lehigh Valley legal market." A May 6 hearing on the matter has been scheduled in federal court in Allentown.
A woman is dead after a fire at a home in Schuylkill County. What's being described as a small fire in the basement was reported just after 7:30 Thursday morning at 19 W. Carroll St. in St. Clair. The home has no visible fire damage on the outside, however, 58-year-old Annette Riggs was killed. The fire apparently started in the back of the basement. Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused it.
Nearly six years after it opened, the Downtown Allentown Market is closing. The 12,000-square-foot, market featuring space for nine food and beverage vendors, will hold its last day of operation later this month. City Center Group, which owns and operates the market syas the three remaining tenants will hold their last day of operation at the market on April 17.
A developer is suing the City of Allentown over uncollected garbage and a homeless encampment he says is harming his properties. The lawsuit filed by Nat Hyman claims the city's property along the Jordan Creek has become a dumping ground along with a homeless encampment with over a dozen tents. He claims the city has failed to clean up the garbage, and some people living in the encampment are trespassing on his properties. Hyman says the city is not complying with the same laws and standards required of private property owners.
Northampton County is stepping up to assist area organizations after federal funding cuts. County Executive Lamont McClure has announced a series of grants to help those impacted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision to terminate over a billion dollars in funding meant for programs that help schools and food banks buy directly from local producers. McClure said the Department of Community and Economic Development is sending thousands-of-dollars in grant money to nine Northampton County organizations affected by the cuts. He called the funding cuts directed by the Trump Administration a "national problem," but said all the county can do is handle business in its "own little corner of the world."
Mid Penn Bancorp is acquiring William Penn Bancorporation. Mid Penn operates 47 retail locations throughout Pennsylvania and central New Jersey. That includes a branch in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, and several in Berks and Schuylkill counties. William Penn currently has 12 branch offices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, primarily in the Delaware Valley area, although one of them is in Bucks County.
Three people have died after they were struck by an Amtrak train. It happened yesterday evening in the Bristol area of Bucks County. Investigators said the victims were on the track and they were family members of each other. More than 200 people were on board but nobody was hurt. Authorities continue to investigate this incident.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and PennDOT is reminding drivers across the commonwealth about a law that will soon go into effect. Drivers will be prohibited from using hand-held devices while driving in the state beginning June 5th. Phones can be used so long as the usage is hands-free for making calls, utilizing GPS or listening to music.
Senator John Fetterman is speaking out against the people who hung a pro-Palestinian banner at his wife's Free Store in Braddock this week. Fetterman shared a photo of the banner on X yesterday, including the inflammatory statement on it criticizing Fetterman and his wife, Gisele, for the senator's support of Israel. The fabric was hung outside the Free Store founded by Gisele, which distributes no-cost food, clothing, and baby formula to area residents. A group of Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, released a joint statement about the banner, calling it "inappropriate and counterproductive".
A dispute between New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and state lawmakers has prompted a call for state oversight of his office. Lawmakers and Platkin sparred repeatedly during a hearing into his one-point-six million dollar budget proposal yesterday. Members of the Senate Budget Committee suggested the state should name an inspector general to oversee Platkin's office. Senators from both parties criticized recent losses by Platkin's office, including his indictment of Democratic power broker George Norcross which were recently tossed out. Republican leaders in the Assembly have filed articles of impeachment against Platkin, accusing him of misusing his office.
The shutdown in Philadelphia is still going. ESPN reported on Thursday that the 76ers are sidelining Tyrese Maxey for the rest of the season with a finger tendon injury. The guard hasn't played in a month. Maxey finishes the season averaging more than 26 points, which is a new career-high. The news comes one day after star center Joel Embiid was ruled out for the rest of the year with a knee injury.