A man will spend the rest of his life in prison for his role in the brutal murder of a teenager in Bethlehem seven years ago. The sentence was handed down to Alkiohn Dunkins yesterday in connection to the death of 18-year-old Tyrell Holmes. Authorities said Dunkins was one of four men who stabbed Holmes then set him on fire in April 2018. A second man involved in the killing is serving 27-and-a-half years to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this month. A third person is waiting to be sentenced in July after pleading guilty to arson charges and a fourth is scheduled to go to trial this fall.
Five people are charged with interfering with the arrest of a wanted man in Allentown. Police say the five hindered the apprehension of 22-year-old Anthony Fata, who was wanted for allegedly using a handgun to threaten someone earlier this the month in the 200 block of North Eighth Street. When police found Fata in the same area Tuesday evening, he fled into a nearby home. At that point, police say three men and a pair of teenagers showed up and tried to prevent Fata's arrest. Fata was arrested on weapons, assault and other charges.
A Lehigh County couple accused of starving and abusing their teenage sons appeared before a judge Thursday. Tracy and Joshua Dechant were arraigned after saying they cannot afford a lawyer to represent them. A September 8 date is set to determine if they qualify to have a public defender appointed. The Lower Macungie Township couple is accused of nearly starving their two twin 15-year-old sons to death and made them live in torturous conditions. When the boys were taken from the home, both weighed under 55 pounds, nearly 90 pounds less than typical weight for boys that age.
16 acres just off Hecktown Road on the border of Lower Nazareth and Bethlehem townships will soon be home to a Turkish candy company. Kervan USA says it will be spending nearly $20 million to build a headquarters and manufacturing site. Kervan first came to the area in 2011 with its first headquarters in Bethlehem, which later moved to Whitehall Township six years later. Ground was broken for the project on Thursday. The new facility is expected to be up and running in early 2026 with plans to employ about 50 people.
A motorcyclist was taken to the hospital after a crash in Allentown on Wednesday. Police said the motorcyclist crossed the median on the American Parkway Bridge to try to pass slower-moving vehicles and collided with an SUV. The motorcyclist reportedly sustained serious injuries. The crash remains under investigation.
Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says tomorrow could feature strong thunderstorms in the late afternoon and early evening. What's the likelihood that those storms roll through the Lehigh Valley? "They're very likely. I'd say 70-to-80 percent chance," Lundberg says. If your neighborhood gets one of those storms, it could produce damaging winds and cause flash flooding.
Juveniles in Reading are being put under curfew. Mayor Eddie Moran has announced a nightly curfew from ten p.m. to five a.m. for everyone under the age of 18 unless they're with a parent or trusted adult. The mayor said the curfew is not intended to be a punishment, but is meant to help kids and teens in Reading stay safe. Anyone caught violating the curfew repeatedly could be issued a citation for up to $300.
There were fewer new unemployment claims last week in Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, just under 15-thousand Pennsylvanians filed for unemployment the week ending June 20th. That's a drop of over three-thousand from the week before. The decline is a welcome sight for Pennsylvania officials after three straight weeks of increased filings.
It looks like no major leadership shake-ups are planned for U.S. Steel in the merger with Nippon. Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show U.S. Steel president and CEO David Burritt is being retained to head the company. Most of the current senior leadership around Burritt will remain in place as well. The CEO says he is "honored to lead U.S. Steel and partner with Nippon" and is planning to "help build what comes next".
New Jersey state budget committees are meeting tonight to clear the state budget before a final vote is taken on Monday. The budget deadline is Monday night, so Governor Phil Murphy has until midnight Monday to sign the budget before the state shuts down. Senate leaders say the agreed-upon budget is mostly similar to what the governor proposed earlier this year.
A New Jersey lawmaker wants to bar the disclosure of the home addresses of state legislators following the assassination of Minnesota's house speaker this month. Assemblyman Chris DePhillips has introduced a bill that would add lawmakers' home addresses to a list of officials whose personal information is shielded under Daniel's Law, which bars the publication of home addresses of judges and law enforcement personnel. Daniel's Law was enacted in New Jersey after a gunman showed up at U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas' home and fatally shot her 20-year-old son Daniel and severely wounded her husband.
As if taking a cue from President Trump's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, a New Jersey lawmaker wants to rename the Delaware Bay, the Bay of New Jersey. Supporters of Republican Senator Michael Testa's proposal say the bay is more closely connected to New Jersey's identity and infrastructure than Delaware's. English settlers in the 17th century named the bay after Delaware. The bay borders both Delaware and New Jersey. The bill is under review by a committee before it would move on to the full Senate.