It's going to be as cold tonight as it's been in a pretty long time. "We could have our lowest temperature in almost ten years across the area tonight," says Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg. He says the last time it got that cold was February 24, 2015, when the mercury tumbled to minus-8 degrees. The forecast overnight low is minus-5 degrees.
Primarily due to the very cold temperatures this morning, it's an Operation Snowflake day in the Lehigh Valley. You can get the complete list of school delays right now by entering the keyword 'snowflake'.
"I feel like I failed in calling it to the President's attention." That's what Alan Jennings said after receiving word that former President Biden's last minute pardons did not include ex-Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence for dozens of corruption-related offenses. Former Lehigh Valley state representative and ex-head of the Pennsylvania Democrat Party T.J. Rooney says he too is disappointed. "This is about right and wrong. He paid the price for his penalty. It's time to set him free," Rooney says. Pawlowski has been behind bars since his 2018 sentencing. Rooney says he will now lobby the new Trump administration for Pawlowski's release.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued a statement yesterday marking President Donald Trump's return to office. The Democrat said he stands ready to work with the Republican Trump Administration to continue the progress made in the commonwealth. However, Shapiro added that he will always defend Pennsylvanians' "fundamental freedoms and stand up to efforts to erode them." The governor ended by stating he believes "there's more that unites us as Americans than divides us," and called for the administration to "focus on the common sense issues that bring people together" to move the state and country forward.
A Carbon County man is recovering after being attacked by a bear over the weekend. The man was walking to the store on a trail near his house in Jim Thorpe on Sunday when he spotted the bear in the middle of that trail. The bear then approached the man and went after him, but a neighbor realized what was going on and was able to grab a gun and kill the bear. The Pennsylvania Game Commission says the bear will be tested for rabies.
The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities and other state regulatory agencies across the country are accusing the company behind Cash App of violating banking rules. DoBS officials are joining an effort to investigate Block, Inc. to determine whether the firm has kept up with all anti-money laundering regulations. Block is paying out an 80-million-dollar penalty under a multi-state settlement and they are agreeing to hire a consultant to generate and submit a report on Cash App usage. Banks and financial companies are required by law to verify the identities of users and to report suspicious transactions. State regulators believe Block has not complied with all of those rules.
Among the flurry of executive orders President Trump signed on his first day in office yesterday is a ban on new offshore wind energy leases. The move is of special interest in New Jersey, where Governor Phil Murphy has made offshore wind projects key to his clean energy goals. Trump has said wind projects are responsible for killing whales despite the lack of scientific evidence. New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew says he helped Trump draft the executive order.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has written to President Trump to try to stop New York's congestion pricing. Murphy sent a letter to Trump shortly after he was sworn back into office yesterday, saying that congestion pricing is one area where he believes they have common ground. Murphy says the nine-dollar fee for most drivers to enter Manhattan below 60th Street is a scheme and a disaster for New Jerseyans, who already pay bridge and tunnel tolls. Trump has vowed to put an end to congestion pricing when he's back in the White House.