A Northampton County man killed his mother and then himself last Friday. Police say 47-year-old Nathan Heffelfinger murdered his 71-year-old mother Diane Wert inside their Plainfield Township home and then stabbed himself to death. Police were called to the residence Friday afternoon after Wert's daughter went to the house to check on her mother, who didn't show up for her granddaughter's prom photos. When she arrived, the daughter saw the bodies through a window. Police have not indicated how Wert was killed and results from a Monday autopsy have not yet been made public.
A 23-year-old Northampton man is dead after a motorcycle crash in Allentown over the weekend. The crash happened shortly after 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon in the area of North 11th Street and West Tilghman Street. Xavier Delgado was driving a motorcycle that was involved in a collision with another vehicle and he was pronounced dead shortly before 5 p.m. at a local hospital.
10 people, including an Emmaus man, face charges they operated a Lehigh County-based drug trafficking organization. 40-year-old Joaquin Gonzalez, of Emmaus, led the organization according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office. Sunday said the group used suppliers in Mexico to traffic fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in multiple Pennsylvania counties. The AG’s office said the collaborative investigation began in 2024.
A teenager is pleading guilty to charges stemming from a shooting in South Easton last year that left six people injured. Authorities said Yandiel Gonzalez opened fire at a home on East Wilkes-Barre Street after he and another person were denied entry to a birthday party happening inside. Gonzalez was 15 at the time of the shooting but was charged as an adult. He faces over a decade in prison.
Gas prices continue to go higher and higher across Pennsylvania. According to the most recent AAA East Central Gas Price Report, the average price for a gallon of gas stood at $4.67 on Monday, 15 cents more than a week earlier and $1.39 more expensive than the same date one year ago. In the Lehigh Valley, the price is $4.53, up nine cents from the week before and $1.45 higher than the 2025 price.
Last Friday, Quakertown issued its report on a February student-led anti-ICE protest that ended up with the borough police chief injured and five students charged. That report essentially said borough police did nothing wrong. Don Souders is the attorney of one of the so-called Quakertown Five and says he doesn't buy it. "They try to reconstruct the facts in that report. Facts that don't exist or they mischaracterize the ones that are easily proven otherwise," Souders says. He says one of the most glaring examples of that is the borough's claim that police chief Scott McElree didn't put one of the students in a choke hold. Felony charges against Souders' client have been dropped and misdemeanors are also expected to be tossed.
Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano is being nominated to become the next U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia. Mastriano was announced Monday as President Donald Trump's nominee for Ambassador to the Slovak Republic. Mastriano has represented Adams and Franklin Counties in the State Senate since 2019, and was the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania Governor in 2022. His nomination will be considered by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which includes Pennsylvania Republican Dave McCormick.
A member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court says he's leaving the Democratic Party over what called "anti-Jewish" actions. Justice David Wecht announced Monday he is no longer a registered Democrat, writing that "hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions" are being "minimized, ignored, and even coddled" inside the party. Wecht said this includes Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, and "intimidation and attacks at synagogues." He noted the change is being made in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the court.
Pennsylvania farmers could see losses of up to $200 million after a freeze last month. Fruit farmers could be especially hard-hit. Governor Shapiro says he's looking to lawmakers to get money from another ag fund to help out. "Language that will allow us to flex funding from the High Pathogenic Avian Influenza fund, which has roughly $75 million in that, which has been incredibly important to our poultry farmers, to help them get back up on their feet after dealing with High Pathogenic Avian Influenza," the governor says.
A rare NFL matchup is taking place on Thanksgiving this upcoming season. The Cowboys will square off against the Eagles from Arlington. It's just the third time the NFC East rivals will battle each other on Turkey Day, with the last contest taking place back in 2014. Schedule leaks are expected to continue this week until the full slate is officially released on Thursday.
An assault case against Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna is now involving his mother. Krystal McKenna was recently charged with providing alcohol to minors on January 31st, the same day her 18-year-old son allegedly broke a man's jaw outside Doggie's Pub in State College. The top prospect was initially facing a felony, but he's now charged with misdemeanor simple assault. McKenna is expected to be the number-one pick in this summer's NHL draft.