Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says it'll be tough to find a better Labor Day weekend weather outlook. "The next three days, after today, are going to be beautiful with sunshine," Lundberg says. Tomorrow's high is 74, with temperatures of 78 expected on both Sunday and Monday.
Catasauqua Middle School and Sheckler Elementary School were placed on lockdown Thursday morning after a phone call threat was received at the middle school. The nature of the threat was not disclosed. Catasauqua High School is continuing with its normal schedule, with a heightened police presence in place. Police are currently investigating.
A car struck a pedestrian near 15th Street in Allentown Thursday morning. Police responded to the scene around 8:15 a.m. Their condition has not been released. The investigation is ongoing.
A Jim Thorpe woman admits to killing an elderly Carbon County man earlier this month. 32-year-old Ashley Self says she choked 79-year-old Michael Greenfield Sr. to death inside Greenfield's Penn Forrest Township home on August 10th. State Police say Greenfield asked his son to pick Self up and bring her to his house. Court papers indicate Self took and nap, woke up and undressed and began rubbing herself up against Greenfield, who asked her to leave. Greenfield's son says at that point he heard screaming from inside the home and ran back inside and saw Self on top of his father, clawing at him like a cat. Self then ran out but was found by police, completely nude and meowing, barking and howling. Self admits to having used methamphetamine before the incident.
It appears property taxes in Lehigh County will not be going up next year. County Executive Phillips Armstrong presented his proposed budget for 2026 on Thursday, and it would keep the tax rate unchanged. He's urging county commissioners to approve his proposal, which pulls $25 million from its stabilization fund to maintain programs while the state budget impasse continues. "Please sit down, work this out. The money is there. We need it," Armstrong told county commissioners. Among new items in Armstrong's budget are bringing on an 11th judge, an in-house interpreter, and an extra prosecutor to handle the court's caseload.
Allentown will receive a new replica Liberty Bell as part of the leadup to the USA's 250th anniversary celebrations next year. City officials say the new bell will be permanently displayed outside the former Zion's Reformed Church building on Hamilton Street. The original bell was stored in the basement of the church in 1777 to keep it away from the British. State Senator Nick Miller said the bell represents Allentown's place in American history.
The suspect in the arson at the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence earlier this year is waiving his preliminary hearing next Tuesday. Cody Balmer faces charges including attempted homicide for the fire at the home in Harrisburg this past April. Authorities said Balmer set the fire while Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping inside.
Pennsylvania State Police and local law enforcement are stepping up impaired driving enforcement for this Labor Day weekend. Troopers and officers will be out on the road watching for motorists who are under the influence of drugs and alcohol now through Monday. PSP Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris says removing impaired drivers from the road saves lives. Reports show there were 13 roadway fatalities across the state during the holiday period last year, with four of those being OVI-related.
State environmental protection officials have declared New Jersey beaches safe and ready for the Labor Day holiday weekend, but swimmers should still maintain caution. Beachgoers are reminded to only go in the water when lifeguards are on duty.
New Jersey residents are being warned about a scam regarding a credit to their electric bills. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities sent out a warning after reports came in of calls from scammers posing as utility employees offering to help people get their 100 dollar credit by asking them for personal information. Officials say it's a scam. The board recently approved a credit that is automatically applied to people's bills in two separate 50 dollar increments starting in September. The credit was approved to give customers some relief from high energy costs and recent rises in rates and applies to all ratepayers in New Jersey.
The New Jersey Department of Health says it has now confirmed its first cases of West Nile virus in the state this season. The two cases coming out of Atlantic and Middlesex Counties in late July and early August. The DOH says both people who tested positive, one child and one adult, have since been discharged from the hospital and are recovering at home. Infections typically occur between now and the end of September. Officials are urging residents to take precautions to prevent infection. Last year, 41 people were infected in New Jersey, including eight fatalities.
Phillies fans witnessed history Thursday night when Kyle Schwarber hit four home runs in the Phillies 19-4 win over Atlanta. He's the 21st player to hit four homers in one game and had a chance to hit a fifth in the 8th inning. By that point, the Braves were using a position player to pitch and Schwarber admitted after the game that's a problem for him. "I got a mental block somewhere in my head. I'm not very good against a position player. You go up there and all you try to do is get a good pitch. It could be soft. It could be hard. I got the pitch. He threw it down the middle. I just popped it up," Schwarber said. Schwarber's nine runs batted in set a Phillies franchise record. He's the fourth Phillie to hit four homers in a game and the first since Mike Schmidt did it in 1976.