Mayor Matt Tuerk is reminding the public that swimming in natural waterways is not allowed in Allentown. Tuerk says a social media trend has led to an influx of people swimming in creeks and other waterways despite a ban enacted in 2018. The mayor says the city is increasing the presence of law enforcement at natural waterways, and anyone caught violating the ban faces a one-hundred-dollar fine. Tuerk is encouraging anyone looking to cool down during the summer to visit one of Allentown's public pools.
The Carbon County woman killed early Monday morning in a Lehigh County accident has now been identified. 36-year-old Kassandra Milkewicz, of Lansford, died just after 1 o'clock Monday morning after an accident also involving another motor vehicle and a tractor-trailer. The crash happened in the area of Route 309 and Mountain Road in Lynn Township.
One man is dead and two people are injured after a two-car crash in Schuylkill County. An 80-year-old man from West Penn Township died at the hospital just after 8 o'clock last night. He was the driver of one of the two vehicles involved in the accident. Schuylkill County emergency crews said the accident happened just before 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Routes 309 and 895 in West Penn Township.
One of the oddest Lehigh Valley traditions continues this afternoon in Easton's West Ward Market. The 19th annual Zucchini 500 begins Wednesday afternoon at 4 o'clock. Adults and kids carve, build and race their zucchini cars with supplies including wheels, axels, carving tools and building supplies. Prizes will be awarded for fastest zucchini and most creative design.
A popular Fox News personality is coming to the PPL Center this fall. Former Lehigh Valley resident Greg Gutfeld is bringing “Gutfeld Live” to Allentown at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20. He will be joined by comedian Tom Shillue and a “surprise guest” for the event. It will be Gutfeld’s second show at the arena, having last appeared in September 2024. Gutfeld once worked at Emmaus-based Rodale, where he was a staff writer at Prevention magazine before becoming editor-in-chief of Men’s Health magazine.
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCcormick kicked off the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit by announcing tens of billions of dollars have been invested in Pennsylvania, he says, as a result of President Donald Trump's economic policies. "Your leadership has catalyzed $90 billion of investment in energy and AI revolution in Pennsylvania. $90 billion!," McCormick told the President. First Energy will spend $15 billion to upgrade the electric grid across the state.
A group of four independent voters are set to present the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court with a petition hoping to open that state's closed primary elections. Among the four is talk show host Michael Smerconish. "We live in very polarizing times and I firmly believe that when independent voices are excluded from the nomination process, we foster the rise of extreme at both ends of the political spectrum," Smerconish says. Pennsylvania is one of nine states that completely prohibits independent voters from participating in primary elections. There are currently 1.1 million unaffiliated voters registered in Pennsylvania.
Last November's election saw nearly 30 percent of all provisional ballots cast in Pennsylvania be rejected. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt says the state has now created redesigned provisional ballot envelopes to improve upon those numbers. "The new envelope features and layout provide clearer instruction for voters so when they fill them out, they're filled out correctly. Very importantly, it also strealines the process for accepting and submitting ballots for election board workers at the polling place," Schmidt says. The redesigned envelopes feature a layout that clearly instructs voters which fields they must fill out, including highlighting the two places where the envelope must be signed. A provisional ballot is issued by county elections officials to give them more time to determine a voter's eligibility to vote. A provisional ballot records your vote while the county board of elections determines whether it can be counted.
Pennsylvania is suing the Trump Administration for withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in education funds designated for the Commonwealth. Governor Josh Shapiro is joining 25 other states in filing the lawsuit challenging the freeze of $6.8 billion in federal education funding appropriated by Congress. Pennsylvania's share is $230 million. The governor said he is looking to force the Trump Administration to deliver money promised to students and schools.
A Jersey Shore lifeguard who gained national attention last month when she was impaled by her beach umbrella last month is back on the job. The lifeguard, 18-year-old Alex Kaus, returned to her job, though in a limited role, last Friday. She says doctors told her the umbrella impaled below her shoulder and close to a major artery, which could have been more serious. She says she wasn't afraid to come back to work because she really likes her job.