Investigators remain tight lipped about gunshots fired Wednesday night in Macungie. Three homes in the Ridings at Brookside in Macungie Wednesday night were hit by gunfire just before 9:30 Wednesday night. One person inside was hit and is listed in critical condition. Police believe the attack was targeted and ask residents to remain vigilant. No arrests have been made and no word yet on a motive.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is being sued by the estate of former Lehigh Valley International Airport executive Bryan Malinowski, who was shot to death during an ATF raid of his Arkansas home last March. Bud Cummins is representing the estate and says Malinowski should not have died that morning. "They could've knocked on this guy's door at noon on a Saturday and he'd have answered it and they could've been searching his house," Cummins says. Instead, Cummins says ten carloads of law enforcement personnel pulled up to Malinowski's home around 6 o'clock in the morning and burst into Malinowski's home. Cummins says Malinowski thought they were intruders and opened fire, hitting one agent. Law enforcement returned fire, killing Malinowski. The ATF says Malinowski was illegally selling guns, some of which ended up being used in crimes. Cummins says Malinowski wsa nothing more than an avid gun collector. An investigation determined ATF agents acted appropriately in shooting Malinowski.
A World Heritage symposium planned for next month in Bethlehem has been canceled. The International Council on Monuments and Sites USA planned a symposium June 4-6 at Moravian University to celebrate Bethlehem's new World Heritage designation. However, citing increased financial pressures and uncertainty surrounding federal and cultural heritage funding, they have canceled the event.
Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says our weather will be unsettled today. "There's a period time that probably about eight or nine hours long starting at about 11 o'clock this morning where we run the risk of a shower or thunderstorm," Lundberg says. There's another chance of heavy thunderstorms tomorrow as well, before things settle down and we see a very pleasant Sunday.
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point over the month to 3.9 percent in April. That number is below the U.S. unemployment rate, which was unchanged over the month at 4.2 percent. Pennsylvania's jobless rate was three-tenths of a percentage point above the April 2024 number of 3.5 percent.
The Penn State Board of Trustees may end up voting on some possible branch campus closures next week. Members are scheduled to join for a virtual session next Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Recommendations have been made to shutter seven branches. The meeting will be streamed live and information on joining in will be available on the Penn State webpage.
The Hershey's Kiss is close to becoming the official State Candy of Pennsylvania. The State House passed a bill earlier this week that would officially bestow the honor to the Dauphin County company's iconic chocolate candy. If approved by the State Senate and signed by Governor Josh Shapiro, the Hershey's Kiss would immediately be designated the State Candy as long as The Hershey Company stays in the commonwealth. More than seventy million Kisses are produced every day in Hershey.
Congresswoman Summer Lee is reintroducing a measure that would provide reparations payments for descendants of Black slaves in America. The Pittsburgh-area lawmaker was joined by fellow Democrats and advocates to announce the legislation yesterday. In the bill, Lee argues that the living relatives of enslaved Americans still deal with the lingering aftermath of slavery that manifests itself as racism, discrimination, and violence to this day. Proposals for reparations have been introduced at various times in the past but none have been approved.
The New Jersey Transit engineers strike has begun. Some 350-thousand daily commuters will have to find other ways to make it to work beginning today as the nation's third-largest commuter rail service is idled by the strike. The last rail strike was in 1983 and lasted more than a month. In addition to better working conditions, the engineers who drive the trains are demanding pay parity with PATH and LIRR engineers but NJ Transit says it doesn't have the funds. Governor Phil Murphy and NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri spoke at a news conference last night and urged commuters to work from home if possible. They also say they're willing to keep talking anytime, including Sunday, when the National Mediation Board has asked both sides to restart talks. NJ Transit buses and the Riverline Light Rail Line are not affected.