New legislation introduced by state Sen. Jarett Coleman requiring Pennsylvania school districts to notify parents and school employees of any weapon possession incidents on school property is heading to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. Coleman's bill would expand previous requirements and would require public and private schools notify parents and staff within 24 hours of any incident in which a knife, gun or any other weapon is brought to school property, school-sponsored events or school transportation. The Senate voted 48-2 Wednesday to approve a final version of the bill after the House previously approved it.
An Allentown street will remain blocked off for another seven to ten days while crews work to repair a water main. The city is closing North 13th Street, between Liberty and Gordon streets, to allow the work to take place. The street will be closed to traffic until November 2nd or 3rd.
PPL's rate increase proposal is being investigated. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted unanimously yesterday to launch an investigation into PPL's request that would increase residential customers' bills by about $13-a-month. The investigation is standard practice, but it will suspend the rate hike from being implemented for up to seven months. The PUC is expected to hold hearings that will include public comment from customers.
State Police kept a close eye on an Eastern Pennsylvania highway on Wednesday. The department said troopers took part in a one-day initiative called Operation Triple Coverage, which monitored I-78 in Berks and three others counties. PSP said it focused on this stretch of the interstate due to a concerning rate of crashes along with drug and weapons busts. During Operation Triple Coverage, troopers issued 334 citations, made one DUI arrest, and reportedly seized 120-thousand-dollars in cash connected to criminal activity.
A former mayor of Pottsville has died. According to a Pottsville Facebook post, Dave Clews has passed away, a little more than one year after stepping down due to health issues. Dave Clews was 67 years of age.
President Trump and the European Union have placed sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports. Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Dave McCormick supports the move. "We need to put pressure on his natural resources, oil and natural gas. This is one of many steps I think we need to do to tighten the noose around Putin and Russia," McCormick says. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the move an "unfriendly" act, adding that it could backfire by raising global oil prices.
Toys R Us is making a brief return ahead of the Christmas season. Toys R Us says it will open more than 30 new stores across the U.S., including eight which will be permanent flagship stores. The closest Toys R Us store to us with be at the King of Prussia Mall in Montgomery County. Toys R Us closed more than 700 stores after filing for bankruptcy in 2017.
When the Blue Jays host the Dodgers tonight in game one of the World Series, Boyertown High School graduate Trey Yesavage will be pitching for them. It's only his seventh start in the big leagues and he was asked how he handles the pressure. "I've been able to go through this and handle this as diligently as possible. With this being my rookie season and having high pressure games, I try to treat it as if it's not as high-pressure as it is mentally but I know it's there. So I think I've just developed it over time," Yesavage says. Yesavage has pitched three earlier postseason games and is 2-1.