A crumbling marriage may be the reason for a double murder in Palmer Township Tuesday evening. Northampton County DA Stephen Baratta says Robert and Gretchen Ackerman was both shot to death by their son-in-law Xiaomin Fei inside the Ackerman's home in The Highlands of Glenmoor 55-and-older community residence. The DA says after police arrested the Bushkill Township man, they entered the home and found the Ackermans and other family members. "When the suspect was removed and the police were in the house, they located the children, grandchildren of Robert and Gretchen Ackerman and also sons of the suspect," Baratta said. Fei's estranged wife was also found uninjured in the home. In addition to a pair of counts of murder, Baratta says Fei faces more charges, including burglary. "It appears that the front door of the house was locked and the suspect gained entrance by breaking a panel in the doorway, as part of the front door, and reaching in and unlocking the door to enter the home and confront the adults there," Baratta said. Investigators say in the 24 hours leading up to the murders, Fei received divorce papers and also purchased the gun allegedly used in the killings.
A woman is in custody after Northampton County officials said she was found with tens-of-thousands-of-dollars worth of suspected fentanyl. The DA's Office said authorities seized about a quarter-pound of suspected fentanyl from Karoline Doval-Cosme of Allentown on Tuesday. The drugs reportedly have an estimated street value of $25,000. Doval-Cosme faces multiple charges.
There are no reports of injuries after an 18-wheeler was hit by a train in Lehigh County. Officials said the collision happened on the tracks in Upper Macungie Township on Wednesday. The cab of the tractor-trailer was knocked over, but it is unknown if the crash caused anything to spill out. The cause of the incident has not been released.
Paul Miller's law takes effect today in Pennsylvania. It makes it illegal to hold your phone while driving, even if you're stopped at a light or stuck in traffic. This man says he thinks it's about time after 'he' was almost struck. "A tow truck driver was on his cell phone and hit my car and received multiple citations. You taking your eyes off the road, it could be somebody's life. It was almost my life," the man says.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture over what he calls the "unlawful termination" of millions in federal funding. "A deal is a deal. They made a deal with our farmers. They made a deal with Pennsylvania and they illegally broke it," Shapiro says. The governor is seeking the restoration of over $13 million from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which assists farmers who provide items to food banks. Shapiro said the lawsuit is simply calling on the USDA to "follow the contract that they signed." The governor's office says Pennsylvania is the first state to sue the USDA over the terminated funds.
Officials with PennDOT are urging drivers to look out for motorcycles this time of year. The department says the warmer weather has more bikers out on the road, as always. Transportation leaders say there were over 200 motorcycle-related fatalities across the commonwealth just last year. PennDOT is also encouraging bikers at all experience levels to take the rider safety course.
New Jersey residents who want to fill up their gas tanks at Wawa will have to pre-pay, beginning this week. Wawa is one of New Jersey's biggest fuel retailers. The new pre-pay policy includes all transactions, from cash to credit to debit cards. Officials with Wawa say the change is to bring New Jersey in line with Wawa outlets in other states.