A New York sixth grader died in a Carbon County rafting accident Wednesday. The superintendent of the Sag Harbor School District says the sixth grader died in the rafting accident, which happened in the Lehigh River Wednesday afternoon. A raft was seen on its side in the water up against a downed tree, reading that it's from the "Whitewater Rafting Adventures" in Nesquehoning.
The Upper Macungie Township Zoning Hearing Board has voted down a huge data center proposed for the former Air Products headquarters. State Sen. Jarrett Coleman was among the jam-packed crowd at the meeting and says he's glad the project was given the thumbs down. "It's important to be here today to stand with the community. To say, I don't think this is a good fit. I understand the need to have data centers in the United States for national security, but there's lots of states that would be a better fit. I don't think Pennsylvania is the right fit, and I certainly don't think the Lehigh Valley is the right fit," Coleman said. A 2.6 million-square-foot campus of three data center structures was proposed. The future of the 194 acre site now becomes cloudy.
Allentown controller and former city council member Jeff Glazier has died. Glazier was appointed City Controller in 2016 and was reelected three times. He was also a former City Council member after being appointed to a vacant seat on Allentown City Council in 2012. He also served on the Allentown School District Board of Directors for 12 years beginning in 1999. No word on the cause of his death. Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk says, “Jeff was going to do things the right way and that’s a legacy that lives on.” Jeff Glazier was 69.
The average price for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania is four cents lower this week at $4.597, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. While the week-over-week price is lower, the price when compared to the same date last year is $1.30 more expensive. In the Lehigh Valley, the average price dipped three cents to $4.47 a gallon, which also $1.30 more expensive than one year earlier.
Pennsylvania State Police has released Memorial Day weekend driving statistics. During the May 22-25 time period, state police say they investigated 843 crashes that killed five people and injured 129 others. Last year, those numbers were 750 crashes that left nine people dead and 134 injured. State police say DUI arrests, speeding citations and child seat violations were all down this year when compared to 2025.
Pennsylvania is being ranked as one of the least healthy states in America. That's according to the personal finance site SmartAsset, which ranked how healthy or unhealthy each state is based on factors such as self-reported physical and mental well-being, obesity rates, smoking prevalence, excessive drinking, air quality, sleep, and more. Pennsylvania took 32nd place, meaning it is among half of the states which are listed as the unhealthiest. Meanwhile, the study found Utah and Colorado as the most healthy states, while West Virginia and Arkansas ranked as the least healthy.
Protesters are demonstrating again outside an ICE detention center in New Jersey today. This comes after demonstrators and ICE agents clashed outside Delaney Hall in Newark Tuesday. Activists say the 300 detainees held there are facing deplorable living conditions, including rotten food and lack of appropriate medical attention, allegations the Department of Homeland Security denies. Some detainees have been on a hunger and work strike since Friday, demanding to be set free. Congressman Robert Menendez Jr, Senator Andy Kim and Governor Mikie Sherrill are among the New Jersey officials calling for Delaney Hall to be shut down.
New Jersey officials are now looking to take legislative steps to require owners of AI data centers pay for the stress they put on the state's power grid. Governor Sherrill was joined Wednesday by two Democratic lawmakers and a Republican mayor while announcing a four point plan, which would also order the data center's owners to publicly release reports twice a year to show how much water and energy are being used. Sherrill is also calling on the owners to invest in the communities they build in, and create more jobs outside of construction.
Beach season is just starting at the Jersey Shore, and along with rip currents and sunburn, state environmental officials are also warning about highly venomous, jellyfish-like Portuguese man o' war washing up. The invertebrate is closely related to jellyfish, and the past several years have landed on New Jersey beaches up to Canada, after mainly sticking to tropical and sub-tropical waters. State Environmental Protection officials are advising people to get immediate medical help if stung, use gloves or a stick to remove any tentacles still on the skin, rinse the wound with hot or warm salt water- not ocean or cold water, which will make the swelling hurt more.
There have been 1105 pitchers in Philadelphia Phillies history. None of them has thrown as many consecutive scoreless innings are Cristopher Sanchez has. Wednesday afternoon in San Diego, the lefty broke Grover Cleveland Alexander's 1911 record of 41 straight scoreless innings. Manager Don Mattingly says Sanchez has just been remarkable. "He's been amazing. Every time out, no matter what team or who it is, he just keeps going," Mattingly says. Sanchez went the entire month of May without giving up a run and has now thrown 44-and-two-thirds straight zeroes. The Phillies beat the Padres 3-0.