Tuesday's storms are still impacting thousands this morning. PPL reports more than 3600 of its customers remain without power, more than 2100 of whom are in Berks, Bucks, Lehigh, Monroe and Schuylkill counties. First Energy customers were hit even harder, with the company reporting more than 10,000 still in the dark today. More than 7300 of whom are in Berks County.
Back on January 10th, Enci "Aubrey" Wu ran away from her Palmer Township home while her parents were sleeping. Monday, the 14-year-old girl was found hundreds of miles away. "Jasper, Georgia authorities located Enci and had Enci in their custody. Apparently, Enci was without any physical injuries and needed no medical attention," says Northampton County DA Stephen Baratta. He says the girl had been active on social media since running away and he believes somebody recognized her and contacted police. Baratta says his department is continuing to approach this as a non-criminal case and at this point, he does not expect criminal charges to be filed here. He says authorities in Georgia are also investigating to determine if any crimes have been committed. Baratta says the teen will be transferred into custody of child welfare officials in Pennsylvania at some point and then Northampton County Children & Youth will conduct an evaluation and determine if the teen can return home, or if the case needs to be referred to juvenile court. The DA also says he's become aware Aubrey's parents have retained attorney Jenna Fliszar to represent Aubrey and make sure her best interests are protected.
The mother of Enci "Aubrey" Wu says she's relieved to hear her daughter has been found safe in Georgia. "I just want to say thank your to everybody. I'm very happy that my baby is coming home," Jade Wu says. She says finding her daughter in Georgia means the family's nightmare is over. Aubrey apparently ran away from home in January after her mother and stepfather placed restrictions on her.
We're learning that the man charged with setting the Governor's Residence on fire Sunday morning once had a protection-from-abuse order filed against him by his then-wife. Cody Balmer's wife at the time filed the PFA in Lycoming County in December 2023. In January 2023, police were called to a Dauphin County home for reports that the same woman was being beaten by Balmer. When police arrived, they were told Balmer had beaten the woman and both his biological and stepchildren during the incident. Balmer was charged with three counts of simple assault in the case, which was still ongoing when he was arrested Sunday for the arson.
The suspected arson at the Governor's Residence will be investigated as a possible hate crime. Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo believes Cody Balmer targeted Governor Josh Shapiro for his Jewish faith after he reportedly claimed Shapiro had "plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people." Shapiro has been a staunch supporter of Israel and blasted college protests against the violence in Gaza earlier this year as anti-Semitic, but has also been a vocal critic of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu. Balmer currently faces several charges including attempted homicide.
Cleanup is underway at the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence following the suspected arson attack last weekend. Authorities believe the fire early Sunday morning caused millions-of-dollars in damage to the almost 60-year-old home. Much of the damage was contained to the south end of the residence, which contained the dining room and a piano room. Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were in a different part of the home and were able to escape safely.
A Palestinian Columbia student that was arrested by ICE earlier this week previously attended Lehigh University. The Morning Call reports Mohsen Mahdawi was enrolled at Lehigh between fall 2018 and spring 2020. Mahdawi, a legal resident who was born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank, was arrested and detained after attending his naturalization interview on Monday. Mahdawi had been an active participant and organizer of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on Columbia's campus last year. His attorney says the arrest violates his client's First Amendment privileges.
It appears a five-story building featuring retail and commercial space on the ground floor and 70 apartments on the four upper floors is a done deal. Bethlehem City Council voted 4-2 to approve a zoning map change to allow for the project planned along North New Street between North and Garrison streets.
A section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was closed in Lehigh County yesterday after a crash involving two tractor-trailers. Authorities said the 18-wheelers collided in the northbound lanes, causing one of the trucks to catch fire. Crews reportedly shut down about 13-miles of the turnpike following the wreck, extending into Bucks County. It remains unknown if anyone was injured.
AAA East Central says gas prices have dipped by four cents in Pennsylvania over the past seven days. As of Tuesday, the average price for a gallon of gas stood at $3.36, which is four cents lower than a week earlier and 36 cents less than the April 15, 2024 figure. In the Lehigh Valley, the average price is $3.21 a gallon, seven cents lower than the previous week and 44 cents below last year's number.
It's expected to be a busy holiday weekend on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Officials project over two-million-drivers will take the Turnpike from Good Friday through the Monday after Easter. The Turnpike says it will suspend all maintenance work this weekend to keep as many lanes open as possible. There is also expected to be an increase in state troopers on patrol for its annual Easter Holiday Enforcement Period.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is doubling down after Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro threatened a lawsuit if her department doesn't honor a contract worth millions of dollars in federal funding. While speaking at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank yesterday, Rollins accused Shapiro of "playing games," and claimed the money the state is losing is "already there." The governor said the state's farmers and food banks are owed a 13-million-dollar grant agreed to by the Biden Administration for a program that allows food banks to buy fresh produce locally. According to Rollins, the state has "tens of millions of dollars" from the USDA to support food banks sitting in its accounts.
As part of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is showing off its Traffic Operations Center. The center is staffed every minute of the day with five to seven operators and one to three supervisors. Joshua Knoll is a dispatcher and says he and his colleagues are busy almost every shift. "We're turning cameras, we're talking to the supervisors, we've got county scanners in there that we can listen to. A lot of the guys in here have fire and EMS backgrounds so we can quickly get assistance that way or alert the county to let them know we know what's going on," Knoll says. The Turnpike Commission wants you to know that you can call *11 to report any issues. The Commission says to tell them your mile marker or nearby landmark so they can reach your location.
Residents in South Jersey should not be surprised to see drones once again flying in the sky over their heads this week. The FAA is testing several large drones and about 100 commercial drones. The drones will be flown near the Delaware River and Bay Authority Ferry Terminal in Cape May. Drones that were later identified as planes stirred up controversy over New Jersey in December.