Three Lehigh Valley football teams continue their march to state championships tonight. Easton puts its 13-0 record up against 10-1 LaSalle College in the 6A playoffs tonight at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. In Class 4A, 12-1 Southern Lehigh takes on 13-0 Shamokin at Blue Mountain High School and in Class 3A, it's 13-0 Northwestern Lehigh playing 8-5 Scranton Prep at Berwick High School. All three games are quarterfinal matchups.
College football's most-played rivalry is renewed tomorrow afternoon when Lehigh visits Lafayette. The 161st matchup features the 11-0 Mountain Hawks taking on the 8-3 Leopards and the stakes are high. The winner will win the Patriot League championship and an automatic spot in the FCS playoffs. Even with a loss, Lehigh might get an at-large bid in the playoffs. Lafayette leads the all-time series 82-73-5.
A man is in custody for allegedly firing gunshots in downtown Easton. Police say the unidentified man fired five shots into the air outside of the Simon Silk Mill on the 1200 block of Simon Boulevard Wednesday evening. No injuries were reported. The man was reportedly taken to a mental health ward following his arrest.
The Allentown School District Board of Directors is giving the go ahead to a renovation project of the Dieruff High School practice field. The upgrades will include a new field house, improved weight and restroom facilities, upgraded lighting, a new playing surface and a new track. The project is expected to cost between $15 million to $18 million, with construction expected to begin in spring 2026.
Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying two men suspected of being involved in a shooting that injured one person Saturday morning in Stroudsburg. Police were called just before 2 o'clock Saturday morning to the 600 block of Main Street. A 21-year-old man was shot in the abdomen, and he was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening. Police believe the man was shot at close range shortly after leaving a business in the area. The suspected shooter was wearing a multicolored North Face-style jacket, a face mask and gray sweatpants. An accomplice was seen wearing a black coat and dark pants.
The Trump Administration is threatening to withhold $75 million in federal funding to Pennsylvania over claims that the Commonwealth has granted Commercial Driver's Licenses to illegal immigrants. Gov. Josh Shapiro says the White House needs to look in the mirror. "The questions have to be directed to Department of Homeland Security and its database that's run by Sec. Kristi Noem. They clearly are not minding the shop and have to get better because every single state in the country relies on this database when making a determination on who qualified for a CDL. We relied on the feds before issuing this one," Shapiro says. The governor says Pennsylvania already stopped giving out these licenses two months ago.
Pennsylvania Congressman Chris Deluzio is responding to President Trump's call for his arrest and the arrest of other lawmakers who appear in a new video aimed at members of the military. The video features Deluzio -- who represents Beaver County and part of Allegheny County in the House -- and other Democratic veterans who are now members of Congress telling members of the military that they do not have to follow unlawful orders. On social media yesterday, Trump called for those that appeared in the video to be arrested and reposted a message from someone else saying that they should be hanged. Deluzio says he will not be intimidated by the president. Representative Chrissy Houlahan was also one of six Democratic lawmakers with experience in the military or intelligence services who made a video telling military members to ignore orders issued by Trump if they are illegal.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says President Trump is "deepening the divides" in the U.S. after the president's social media post calling for a group of Democrats to be tried for "seditious behavior, punishable by death." The governor said Trump is "actively encouraging political violence once again" and "ratcheting up the real risk of danger" to elected leaders across the country. The president made the post Thursday in response to a video made by six Democratic lawmakers telling military members to ignore orders issued by Trump if they are illegal. The White House later said President Trump doesn't want the Democrats in the video to be put to death.
Senator John Fetterman is criticizing President Trump over his online posts calling Democrat lawmakers "traitors." Trump posted on social media, accusing six members of Congress of displaying "seditious behavior" that is "punishable by death". The legislators the president referred to appeared in an online video telling members of the military that they are not obligated to carry out "illegal orders" issued by Trump. Senator Fetterman described Trump's comments as "dangerous rhetoric", calling the post "deeply wrong".
The idea of banning cell phones in all New Jersey public schools has won the support of one of the state's leading lawmakers. State Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin -- New Jersey's second-highest state lawmaker -- told NJ Advance Media he wants to see the legislature pass a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Coughlin says he supports a current bill the legislature is considering that would direct the state Department of Education to develop a policy that would prohibit non-academic use of a cellphone during classroom instruction with some exceptions. Many of New Jersey's schools already ban cell phones during class instruction but policies and punishment vary.
The New Jersey Supreme Court is banning Shaken Baby Syndrome testimony. It's the first court in the U.S. to bar prosecutors from blaming unexplained head trauma in criminal and custody cases. Its 6-1 ruling released Thursday calls expert testimony about Shaken Baby Syndrome "unreliable" and, therefore, "inadmissible" in court. The decision upholds lower court rulings calling Shaken Baby Syndrome "junk science." This, despite a 2018 consensus statement about its validity that's backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The 17th Annual New Jersey Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for today at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford and will be hosted by Danny DeVito -- a member of the hall himself since 2010. The 2025 class includes retired hockey goalie and current executive of the New Jersey Devils Martin Brodeur as well as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, an Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles, and chef David Burke. Keyboardist for Bon Jovi -- David Bryan -- along with the Jonas Brothers, the Isley Brothers are part of the performing arts and entertainment category.
Major League Baseball's Field of Dreams game will include the Phillies next summer. The Phillies and Twins will play between the corn fields Thursday, August 13 on the Iowa field made famous by the Field of Dreams movie. Baseball hasn't held a game there since 2022. Phillies managing partner and CEO John Middleton says, “For our players, this will be an experience they never forget as they step onto the set of one of the most iconic baseball movies ever made.”