Two local candidates face challenges to their petition signatures. Two woman claim at least 317 signatures Ana Tiburcio collected are invalid because they either aren't registered Democrats, don't live in the 22nd state House District, or made errors like printing incorrect names and addresses. Rules stipulate candidates for state representative must gather 300 valid signatures. Tiburcio submitted 578, but the challenge claims those 317 alleged invalid signatures would drop her well below that threshold. Tiburcio won a special election last month in the 22nd District and will be sworn in on Monday and seeks to keep that job beginning with this spring's primary election. In the 18th state Senate District, four women have claim Taiba Sultana falls short of the 500 valid signatures needed to appear on the May ballot. Sultana submitted 901 signatures, but challengers claim at least 417 are invalid, leaving her shy of that required number of 500. Sultana is mounting a primary challenge against longtime Democrat St. Sen. Lisa Boscola.
Emergency crews were needed in Bethlehem after a person was hit by a vehicle last night. Authorities said a pedestrian was struck on Linden Street shortly after 8 p.m. The person was taken to the hospital, where their condition is still unknown. Police are investigating.
Funeral services Wednesday for State Police Cpl. Timothy O'Connor, who was shot to death during a traffic stop in Chester County earlier this month. His widow, Casey, spoke during the service. "My husband was a steady man, a reliable man. He was someone you could depend on in times of need and in times of joy," she said. Timothy O'Connor was 40 years old. The man who shot him to death almost immediately turned the gun on himself and took his own life.
Pennsylvania officials are seeking millions-of-dollars in penalties from UGI for a deadly explosion at a chocolate factory that was caused by a gas leak. The state Public Utility Commission is requesting a judge issue $2.6 million in fines against the utility company for the 2023 explosion at the R.M. Palmer facility in West Reading. The commission says investigators found 27 state and federal safety violations related to UGI's natural gas distribution system. Seven workers were killed in the blast and ten others were injured.
Lehigh is out of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament after a 67-55 loss to Prairie View A&M. Head coach Brett Reed says the loss doesn't diminish his team's accomplishments. "On a night when we really needed to play really well, we didn't necessarily shoot the ball as well as we needed to. But, this moment, this disappointment doesn't define the season that we've had and it doesn't define these young men, their productivity, as strong as they've played," Reed said. The Mountain Hawks led 29-27 at halftime, but were outscored by 14 in the second half.
A veteran signal caller is headed to Philly. According to ESPN, the Eagles have acquired backup quarterback Andy Dalton from the Panthers in exchange for a seventh round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The deal saves Carolina a little $2 million in salary cap space for the upcoming season and $4 million in cash. Dalton was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2011 draft, and has thrown for nearly 40,000 yards to go along with over 250 touchdowns in his career.