A half-dozen people are out of their home after a Tuesday night fire in Northampton County. The fire happened just after 10 o'clock last night at a mobile home in the Hickory Hills Manufactured Home Community in Moore Township. Firefighters say strong winds fueled the fire, making it much more difficult to control. The mobile home is a complete loss and the one next to it was also damaged. There's no word on what may have started the fire and no injuries are being reported.
A driver is recovering after a crash thanks to the quick work of two people nearby. Northampton County officials say a firefighter witnessed the crash in Lehigh Township Tuesday morning and was able to pull the driver out of their burning vehicle with the help of a bystander. The driver was taken to the hospital in unknown condition. The fire department said without their immediate actions, it would have been a much worse result.
Gas prices across Pennsylvania are down a nickel from last week's price. According to AAA East Central, the average price for gas in Pennsylvania is $3.21 as of Tuesday. That's one penny less than a year ago. In the Lehigh Valley, the average price dropped three cents over the past week to $3.18 a gallon, which is six cents more than the December 2, 2024 price.
The last of three African wild cats that went missing from a Berks County wildlife center was hit by a car Monday night and died. The three cats escaped their enclosure at the Cricket Wildlife Center in District Township about a month ago after a storm damaged that enclosure. Two of the cats were found within days.
Tuesday's official snowfall total at Lehigh Valley International Airport happened to be the smallest reported in the region. The official snowfall number is .8 inches at LVIA. However, in Saylorsburg, more than four inches of snow was reported. Washington Township in Lehigh County reports four inches, Palmerton reports nearly four inches of snow and Bangor ended up with three inches.
Tuesday it snowed. Today, we ski. "We'll be the first ski resort in Pennsylvania to open on Wednesday. We couldn't be more excited," says Jason Bays at Camelback Resorts. He says not all trails will be open but the resort is welcoming skiers today. Blue Mountain Resort and Jack Frost Resort said they plan to open on Friday, while Bear Creek says it will have an opening date soon.
Pennsylvania State Police say six people died in nearly 1200 crashes statewide over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. 61 of those accidents involved impaired driving and state police say they made 458 DUI arrests during the period from November 26th through November 30th. Pennsylvania State Police say the DUI arrest numbers this year are a drop of 80 from 2024.
Loved ones are mourning the loss of Philadelphia Police Highway Patrol Officer Andy Chan. Chan was on duty back in 2019 riding his motorcycle when he was hit by a minivan. He suffered critical injuries and continued to fight to survive. Rep. Brendan Boyle called his passing heartbreaking. Chan was married and had three children.
New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer says almost half of all Americans have been victims of package theft -- or porch piracy -- and he's pushing a bipartisan effort to make it a federal crime. Gottheimer says the crime -- which police call a crime of opportunity -- costs Americans an estimated 16-billion dollars a year. Currently, it's only a felony if the package is stolen from the U.S. Postal Service. Making the crime a felony would mean fines and jail time. Almost a quarter of all victims receive no refunds for stolen packages. Gottheimer's bill would mandate reform on the part of retailers.
The New Jersey Assembly's health committee has approved a bill that would legalize so-called magic mushrooms in the state. This past week, the panel approved the bill that would make it legal for adults over 21 for mental health treatment. Hallucinogenic mushrooms are banned by the federal government but some cities and states have legalized them for mental health treatment.
BYU football is retaining its head coach. ESPN reports Kalani Sitake will stay with the program despite efforts from Penn State to lure him away from Provo. Administrators are in the process of putting together a "lucrative" contract to keep Sitake with the team. The Nittany Lions are still looking for a new coach after firing James Franklin mid-season.