After being closed for more than a week due to an IT disruption, Lehigh Carbon Community College says one of its campuses reopened Tuesday. L-Tri-C's Schnecksville campus reopened Tuesday, however its Allentown, Tamaqua and Airport sites will remain closed through Saturday, March 14. In-person and hybrid classes at the closed sites will continue to be held remotely via Zoom. The college said all in-person appointments, meetings, classes, and college activities are resuming at the Schnecksville campus. All advising, counseling, and educational support appointments will also resume and hybrid classes will be held as scheduled. The college says it's working towards reopening and that the forensic investigation and restoration efforts remain ongoing.
A Lehigh Valley lawmaker plans to introduce a pair of bills that would temporarily suspend the Commonwealth's gasoline and diesel taxes for 60 days. Democrat St. Sen. Lisa Boscola says Pennsylvania drivers pay a nearly 58 cent gas tax and a diesel tax of about 74 cents per gallon. Boscola's plan would authorize bonds to replace the loss of gas tax revenue that is used for State Police and road and bridge projects. With gas prices spiking after the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, Boscola says the temporary suspension of the tax will make a real difference for families struggling with affordability.
One person is in the hospital after a crash in Bethlehem Tuesday evening. Authorities say the person had to be rescued by first responders after their vehicle flipped on its side on Route 378 near the 8th Avenue exit. Their condition is still unknown. The road was closed for several hours after the wreck but has since reopened.
Temperatures soared Tuesday and a case of spring fever set in for these folks who enjoyed a walk at Beltzville State Park. "I was surprised. I thought there would be no ice, but there's ice. That's okay. We're supposed to have another nice day tomorrow and I'm grateful for that," one woman said. Accu-Weather says temperatures today could break the record of 73 degrees set five years ago.
The calendar says it's winter. The forecast sounds a lot like summer. "Severe weather is on the table for late this afternoon and early tonight," says Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg. He says that severe weather includes a very outside chance of a tornado during what might be hard thunderstorms. Those storms will kick out record high temperatures and return us to the 40s for the remainder of the week.
It appears our snow shoveling is finished for the season. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office says, unfortunately, that task contributed to a half-dozen deaths this winter. In a news release, the coroner's office says the deaths serve as a reminder of the dangers of strenuous snow removal, particularly for those with underlying health issues.
More than a dozen people are facing charges in connection to a drug trafficking ring based in Carbon County. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday says charges were recently filed against 13 people for their alleged roles in a trafficking network that brought fentanyl, meth, and other drugs into the region. The AG's Office said nine suspects are in custody, while four are still at large. Sunday said the operation sends a clear message that if you bring illegal drugs and risks of violence into Pennsylvania neighborhoods, you will be held accountable.
More explosive devices were recovered in Bucks County yesterday in connection with the terror suspects accused of throwing IEDs outside the New York City mayor's home on Saturday. FBI officials found three additional devices and conducted three controlled detonations after searching a unit at a Public Storage in Middletown Township. The storage facility is not far from the homes of the 18 and 19-year-old suspects charged in the ISIS-inspired plot. The pair is charged in a five count federal complaint with possessing and using a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to aid a "designated foreign terrorist organization."
Penn-DOT is announcing millions-of-dollars in funding to construct a dozen new electric vehicle charging stations across the Commonwealth. PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said the projects will bridge the gap for electric vehicle drivers between long-distance travel and community-based chargers.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherril delivered her first budget address on Tuesday, proposing a record $60.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2027. Sherrill called her 2027 spending plan the most fiscally responsible budget that our state has seen in years. "I refuse to put off for tomorrow what we need to fix today," the governor said. Sherrill said the state must stop spending money it doesn't have. The budget includes no tax hikes and fully funds state pensions but eligibility caps for senior property tax breaks through the "Stay New Jersey" program would shrink in half.
State Republican lawmakers say Governor Mikie Sherrill's budget proposal makes cuts in the wrong places, and is lacking relief for taxpayers. Assembly Republican Conference Leader Christopher DePhillips says, "Spending continues to move in the wrong direction- up and up, just like the last eight years." Sherrill's plan calls for 60.7-billion dollars in spending, and makes two billion in cuts, and a quarter of those cuts would be to the Stay NJ property tax rebate program for seniors. Senate Republican Minority Budget Officer Declan O'Scanlon says, "The last thing that should be cut is property tax relief, and that's what that is. Instead, it's one of the first things cut by a half billion dollars."
Lehigh University's men's basketball team is one win away from a Patriot League championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Lehigh plays Boston University tonight at 7 at Stabler Arena. It's Lehigh's second championship game in three years and fourth in ten. The Mountain Hawks and Terriers are both 17-16 on the season. BU is a one-and-a-half point favorite.
The 76ers will miss their best player for almost a month. The team announced Tyrese Maxey is out for at least three weeks with a tendon injury to his finger. He'll be re-evaluated after that timeframe. Maxey got hurt in a loss to the Hawks over the weekend and an MRI revealed no fractures. The All-Star guard leads the team in scoring at 29 points and assists with almost seven per game.