Despite getting an earful from residents at Monday night's meeting, Emmaus Borough Council approved a 25.6-percent property tax hike. After more than two hours' worth of comment from residents, council voted in favor of the tax increase, which means for a property assessed at $100,000, the proposed tax bill for 2025 would equal $1,044.55, an increase of $213 when compared to this year's payment. Council members blame the tax increase on higher pension and health care costs; a $1 million revenue drop; roof repairs at the Emmaus library; soaring energy costs; and other factors.
A Macungie man has been sentenced to four to 17 years in state prison for a fatal crash in 2021. Anthony Rutch killed 36-year-old Alexander Zarnas when Rutch struck Zarnas as he was riding his bicycle on Mountain Road in Lower Macungie Township. Investigators say Rutch drove off after hitting Zarnas.
Three days after arriving at Lehigh County Jail, 62-year-old Linwood Jones was found unresponsive in his cell. One day later Jones was declared dead at the hospital. Officials say Jones was admitted to Lehigh County Jail on December 11th, was found unresponsive on the 14th and died on the 15th. The investigation continues.
What's being called 'a serious police incident' is being blamed for part of Route 22 being shutdown Monday afternoon. State police say all westbound traffic was blocked at Route 309 around 2 o'clock Monday afternoon. Police say they'll likely release details sometime today.
Make it six headliners announced for the 2025 Musikfest in Bethlehem. Country music star Jordan Davis will be coming to the Wind Creek Steel Stage on Saturday, August 9, 2025. Ticket sales begin for the general public Friday, December 20. Ticket prices run from $39 to $89.
"This is offensive. This is beyond ridiculous," is what Lycoming County DA Tom Marino has to say about President Biden's decision to commute the sentence of ex-Pennsylvania Judge Michael Conahan. In September 2011, Conahan was sentenced to 17-and-a-half years in prison for taking millions of dollars in kickbacks for sending thousands of juveniles to two private detention centers. At the time, Marino was a U.S. Attorney who worked on the case and he doesn't mince words about the White House's decision. "It's an insult to the criminal justice system. It's more than an insult to the parents who have kids who were subjected to that. It's a travesty that these kids had to go through that," Marino says. The juveniles were wrongly imprisoned for minor crimes, if any crime at all. Conahan was released in 2020 to home confinement because of COVID-19 health concerns, but now the remainder of that confinement has been eliminated.
Governor Josh Shapiro is ordering an investigation into recent reported drone sightings in Pennsylvania. The governor has requested that State Police look into the sightings and find out where the drones are coming from. After weeks of drone sightings in New Jersey, numerous sightings were reported late last week in Eastern Pennsylvania. Federal officials say there is no known threat at this time.
As more people report drone sightings across the northeast a man in western Pennsylvania says he's worried after his wife's medical helicopter was apparently mistaken for a drone, as some on social media say it should be shot down. "Usually out in rural communities, a lot the attitude is to shut them down. I understand people want their privacy, but one, it's a federal offense, and two, it's not a drone, it's a medical helicopter," the man says.