An expected wintry mix has arrived in the Lehigh Valley. "I think as the precipitation continues, it'll try to flip over to a little bit of snow for an hour or two and then go back to freezing rain and then just plain rain as we get to late morning and this afternoon," says Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg. A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until 1pm.
A Whitehall man has lost in court. 52-year-old Kevin Esterly had requested to have the Lehigh County DA's office removed from his child rape case, but a judge denied that request on Monday. Back in 2018, Esterly was convicted of taking the victim to Mexico without her parents' consent. Last year, that victim told investigators Esterly began sexually assaulting her when she was just 12 years old and got her hooked on methamphetamine a year later. Esterly faces numerous charges and has pleaded not guilty to all of them. Jury selection for Esterly's trial is now set for this afternoon.
Authorities are releasing details of a crash in Lehigh County last month that killed an elderly man. State Police say 84-year-old Sik Chung pulled into the path of another vehicle while trying to exit a parking lot on Milk Creek Road in Lower Macungie Township, which led to a collision. Chung was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation is ongoing.
Pennsylvania's gas prices remain rather stagnant over the past few weeks. According to the AAA East Central Gas Price Report, the average price for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania this week is $3.12, down a penny from the previous week and 19 cents cheaper than the 2025 price. In the Lehigh Valley, the average price is at $3.08, also down one cent from the week before and a dime less expensive than 2025. Next week's report will likely show very different results as it appears most local gas stations upped their price by ten-to-15 cents following the U.S. attacks on Iran.
It appears the Lehigh Valley is getting another Hobby Lobby store. Steel beams with the words "Hobby Lobby" on them have been delivered to the Airport Shopping Center in Hanover Township, Lehigh County. Indications are the new Hobby Lobby store will be built at the site of the old Christmas Tree Shops.
T-I is coming to Musikfest. ArtsQuest has announced the star rapper will perform on the Wind Creek Steel Stage August 5th. He'll be joined by special guest DaBaby. Musikfest tickets go on sale today for ArtsQuest members and this Friday for the general public.
Pennsylvania's two senators remain united in backing President Trump's decision to attack Iran. Democrat John Fetterman continues to say he cannot understand why more Democrats don't join him. "If you really believe that they should never obtain nuclear weapons and long-range missiles and somebody decides to make sure that's not going to happen, why can't we all just acknowledge that's a good thing," Fettermans says. Republican Dave McCormick credits Fetterman for his courage in bucking his party. "He stood up strongly for Israel. He stood up against anti-Semitism when his part is turing, in many cases, to being anti-Semitic and he stand by the president because he knows what the other Democrats are doing is indefensible," McCormick says.
Recreational and medical marijuana laws in the Garden State do not allow weed to be grown in gardens around the state, but bills introduced in Trenton would change that. The two measures would allow registered patients to grow up to ten plants for personal use, and would be a cap of 12 plants for any household. Monmouth County State Senator Vin Gopal is the bills' prime sponsor. He says it will help some medical users who cannot afford to pay dispensary prices.
Up to two feet of snow just blanketed the Garden State a week ago, and that second big snowstorm of the season is still not enough to quench the ground's thirst. State climatologist Dave Robinson says New Jersey is in a drought warning, with groundwater levels low in South Jersey, while reservoir levels are well below average. Some parts of the state got over two feet of snow in last week's second large storm this winter, but Robinson says looks can be deceiving, since ten inches of snow melts down into about one inch of liquid. He also points out New Jersey has had below average precipitation in 19 of the last 22-months since May of 2024.
Governor Mikie Sherrill is scheduled to give her budget address next Tuesday, and some GOP lawmakers have suggestions for the Democrat's spending plan. Four state Senate Republicans sent a letter to the governor, asking her to cancel 400-million dollars in old state account balances and do away with all special grants to counties, towns, schools and non-profits. They also called on Governor Sherrill to consider public workers union proposals to control public employee health insurance costs, and redirect some of the billions of dollars invested in the federal government into municipalities around the state. Sherrill has only said her budget will include cuts, but will not include tax hikes.