The City of Allentown is moving forward with its bond plan to borrow millions of dollars from investors. During its Wednesday night meeting, Allentown City Council gave the thumbs up to issuing bonds worth up to $134 million for various capital projects, including funding for a new fire station and police headquarters.
Investigators are releasing more details about a shooting at a restaurant in Bethlehem earlier this month. The Northampton County District Attorney's Office said 18-year-old Ashton Thomas opened fire inside Sizzling Bites Halal Grill on August 8th after his friend was slapped in the face by a man during an altercation outside. Police said the man was struck by gunfire along with a female bystander. Thomas faces multiple charges including attempted homicide.
July 2025 will go down as the busiest one ever at Lehigh Valley International Airport. Last month, 102,634 passengers flew through ABE. That's the best month on record for the airport, and an increase of 0.6 percent from the previous July. United Airlines traffic increased nearly 11 percent, and Allegiant Air rose 3.8 percent. American Airlines, though, saw a steep dip, with passenger traffic declining 22 percent compared to July 2024.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says all forms of gaming in July totaled more than $557 million, an increase of more than 11 percent from last July. Wind Creek in Bethlehem ended up with the fifth highest revenue last month at more than $48 million. That's roughly one percent higher than last July.
There's still no budget deal at the Capitol, which could have dire consequences for the commonwealth's transit agencies. Gov. Shapiro remains hopeful something will bring the two sides together. "For my part, I'm going to continue to try and bring the Republican leaders in the Senate and the Democrat leaders in the House together to come up with a solution prior to these cuts going into effect. I'm working tirelessly to try to that common ground and get this done," Shapiro says.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is adding to its electric vehicle charging across Pennsylvania with two new stations. Two new electric vehicle charging stations at the North Somerset and the South Somerset service plazas in Somerset County. The new stations, which are set to open this fall, will include two high-speed chargers, which can charge two vehicles simultaneously in 30 minutes or less. The PA Turnpike says it has been implementing EV charging stations on its roadways since April 2014. Today, 60 stations can be found at eight service plazas along the turnpike and there are more coming. 80 new universal EV stations are expected to be added by 2027, ensuring all service plazas are equipped with them.
Forecasters say Hurricane Erin is creating life-threatening conditions for swimmers and boaters along the East Coast, including the Jersey Shore, along with some of the biggest waves in years. The storm is currently a high-level Category Two hurricane, just short of returning to major hurricane status. Its closest pass to New Jersey is expected tomorrow, when its center is forecast to be about 400 miles southeast of Cape May. Huge waves up to twelve feet tall and rip currents are expected in beaches in Cape May, Atlantic, Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Minor to moderate coastal flooding is forecast along the Jersey Shore.