During its Wednesday night meeting, Allentown City Council heard from residents unhappy after what appeared to be a noose was reportedly found on the desk of a Black city worker. "Somebody has to be held accountable in the city for what the hell is going on right now. This is ridiculous what's going on right now," one man told council. The person who allegedly found the noose was a part of a discrimination complaint made against the city last year. The FBI is assisting Allentown police with their investigation into the alleged incident. Also Wednesday, City Council voted to establish a Latino advisory committee and an African-American advisory council in an effort to improve race relations with the community.
A 62-year-old Northampton County woman is under arrest and faces numerous animal cruelty and other charges. State Police say when they were called to the Upper Mount Bethel Township home of Donna Giello-Turner they found a seriously neglected horse, which had to be euthanized, a dead dog in a freezer and a total of 22 dogs, two birds and a cat. Investigators say the home was filthy and the animals had no food or water and were living in deplorable conditions.
Massachusetts-based DCD Automotive Holdings is expanding its dealership footprint in the Lehigh Valley. DCD has now bought Bennett Infiniti and will be moving it from southwest Allentown to South Whitehall Township. Nucar Infiniti will be part of the Nucar Automall of Allentown, which includes Nissan and Dodge, Chrysler, Ram and Jeep. Last spring, DCD purchased the Rothrock dealership.
Police are searching for a man missing out of Monroe County. The family of 66-year-old George Johnson reported him missing eight days ago and says he has not been seen since January 7th in East Stroudsburg Borough. He was wearing a black pullover and jeans. Anyone who has seen Johnson since is asked to contact police.
Another nuisance snow is expected today. "There will be snow in the air, at times, during the midday, afternoon and early evening hours. I think most places will get a coating, but some places could get an inch. That's just enough to cause some slippery travel just in time for the evening commute," says Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg. He says the immediate Lehigh Valley is more likely to pick up just a coating while an inch is more likely up in the Poconos.
Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman says he's glad he sat down with incoming President Donald Trump. "It was a positive experience. I was glad I did it. I appreciate the opportunity and it was a good conversation," Fetterman says. Fetterman wouldn't go into details about the Mar-A-Lago meeting, but said he and the next president talked about U.S. Steel, immigration and several other issues. Trump seemed to enjoy the meeting as well, saying “He’s a commonsense person. He’s not liberal or conservative. He’s just a commonsense person, which is beautiful.”
More than two-dozen people are being banned from Pennsylvania casinos. The State Gaming Control Board says 26 names were added to the Involuntary Exclusion list on Wednesday. According to the board, four of them left their children in the car while gambling. One reportedly left their eleven-month-old inside their vehicle for almost an hour to gamble at Hollywood Casino in Grantville.
The ban on red dye number three will not affect operations at Hershey. The company says it has not used the dye since 2021. The FDA banned red dye number three in food, drinks, and ingested drugs yesterday, more than three decades after scientists found a link to cancer in animals. Manufacturers that use the additive are being given two years to remove it and reformulate their products.
While a federal investigation into recent sightings of drones over New Jersey continues, President-elect Donald Trump promises to release a report on them once he takes office. Trump made his promise before a group of Republican governors last week. Authorities have said the drones belonged to commercial companies, hobbyists or law enforcement agencies. The surge in drone sightings began in mid-November and included some located near sensitive locations such as reservoirs, the Trump golf club in Bedminster, and Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County.