The suspect in the arson attack at the Governor's Residence is being denied bail. Cody Balmer made his first appearance in court yesterday on charges including attempted homicide for allegedly breaking into the residence and starting a fire early Sunday morning while Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping.
Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline says it became obvious early on that the Sunday morning fire at the Governor's Residence was suspicious. "It became very apparent that this was not an ordinary fire. Not because it was just in the Governor's Mansion, but also due to the circumstances that I saw inside, surrounding the fire. So, I immediately reached out to the Pennsylvania State Police to bring their arson investigation team in," Enterline says. Enterline says the Governor's Residence has no sprinkler system that would have helped knock the flames down sooner. Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline said the fire likely caused millions-of-dollars in damage. Balmer's mother told CBS News he is mentally ill and was off his medication.
President Donald Trump has offered comments on the suspect in the arson attack at the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence last weekend. "The attacker, basically, wasn't a fan of anybody. He was probably just a whack job. Certainly nothing like that cannot be allowed to happen," the president said Monday. The mother of suspect, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, told CBS News he is mentally ill and was off his medication, but court documents reportedly state that he expressed hatred for Governor Josh Shapiro.
More details are emerging about the man charged with setting fire to the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg early Sunday morning. The mother of 38-year-old Cody Balmer says her son suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and was off his medication. In court, however, Balmer denied having mental health issues, but did say he had no money and "a lot of kids." This is not Balmer's first run-in with the law. He has previously been charged with simple assault, theft and forgery. Balmer pleaded guilty to the forgery charge and was sentenced to probation and his assault case is pending and it appears he was out on bail on those charges.
Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg isn't exactly bullish on an afternoon thunderstorm, but he says if you get one, it could be a violent one. "There could be a thundershower. I don't think everybody is going to get one. They could produce small hail and gusty winds, but I think that's the exception to the rule," Lundberg says. It appears the best chance for a storm is between 4 and 6pm today.
35-year-old David Mayers, of Lower Macungie Township, has been identified as the man killed after being hit by a tractor-trailer on Route 309 in Coopersburg. The accident happened around 4:30 Sunday morning. Investigators are still looking into what happened.
The homicide trial for a deadly 2023 shooting in Allentown is set to begin. The jury was seated yesterday in the case against Obadiah Whack. Whack is accused of firing a gun through the door of a home on North Law Street, killing a 35-year-old woman. Opening statements will take place this morning.
Property owners in the Whitehall-Coplay School District are staring a 5.3-percent tax increase in the face. The Whitehall-Coplay School board will vote on the budget April 28th. If approved, the tax hike would be the latest in a string of increases, including four-and-a-half percent last year, two-and-a-half percent the year before that and three percent three years ago.
Easton's Historic District Commission has approved a revised proposal to tear down and rebuild a McDonald's restaurant on Larry Holmes Drive in downtown Easton. The McDonald's was built 46 years ago and later remodeled. It will be replaced with a larger building, expanding from 2,900 square feet to approximately 4,000 square feet and it will also feature an expanded drive-thru, improved lighting and updated landscaping. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026 and will take approximately 150 days to complete.
State troopers are reminding Pennsylvanians to drive safely this holiday weekend. PSP says there will be more troopers patrolling the roads during its annual Easter Holiday Enforcement Period. The department says there over two-dozen crashes and 21 DUI arrests in the Lehigh Valley area during the Easter enforcement period last year. The enforcement period runs from Friday through Sunday.
People who have yet to complete their returns are running out of time. It is Tax Day in America. Filings must be postmarked by midnight tonight to be considered on time. Folks who need an extension can file a request for one but that also must be done before midnight.
A Schuylkill County man is in custody after he allegedly stole a police vehicle. Authorities say 49-year-old Richard Weiss entered an idling patrol car with the spare key in the ignition at the Schuylkill Haven Borough Police Department then took off early Monday morning. Weiss then reportedly went to a Wawa in Berks County and took several items from behind the counter, allegedly claiming to workers that he was an off-duty officer. He was found and arrested in Delaware a few hours later.
A new study places New Jersey low among all states where residents have a hard time saving money. The study comes from Bankrate, which studied the easiest states to save money in for 2025. It looked at such areas as cost of living, state and local taxes and employment growth. New Jersey ranks 45th in the tax category with a state and local tax rate of 13-point-two percent. New Jersey also ranks 44th for local economy ranking.