Mack Trucks in Lower Macungie Township hosts President Trump this afternoon. Muhlenberg College political science professor Chris Borick predicts what the president will likely talk about. "The president wants to come to the Lehigh Valley and boast about contracts to a major local manufacturer, Mack Trucks and make the case that under the president these are the types of accomplishments that are happening," Borick says. President Trump's speech is scheduled for 2 p.m.
State Police are announcing road closures in Lehigh and Berks Counties during President Trump's visit this afternoon. Troopers say State Route 222 will be closed in both directions along with State Route 100 in Lehigh County and Route 183 between Reading Regional Airport and Route 222. The closures are scheduled from noon to 5 p.m.
A week before he could have been sentenced to up to 87 years in prison, the Lehigh County man who pleaded guilty to corruption of minors charges in 2018 and was convicted of sexually assaulting a girl back in March was found dead in his Lehigh County Jail cell. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office has ruled 53-year-old Kevin Esterly's death a suicide. Esterly's body was found in his jail cell very early Monday morning. Esterly first made headlines in 2018 for going to Mexico with a 16-year-old female family friend, without her family's permission. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to two-and-a-half to five years in jail. Esterly was arrested again last year after the sex assault victim, who is now an adult came forward with the allegations. The woman testified that Esterly began sexually assaulting her when she was around 14 years of age at his former residence in Lowhill Township and at an Allentown apartment he rented. A jury found him guilty after just one hour of deliberations.
Taxes are going up in the Whitehall-Coplay School District. The school board there adopted the 2026-27 final budget Monday night. It's a $107.1 million budget which includes a tax increase of 4.7 percent on property owners, which is the highest amount permitted with.
A lucky lottery player won big in the Poconos this weekend. A Powerball ticket sold in Monroe County matched five of the five white balls drawn but not the red Powerball on Saturday to win $1 million. The Sunoco along North Courtland Street in East Stroudsburg will receive a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Vacant malls in New Jersey could be turned into housing much faster under a new proposed bill. The legislation would bypass zoning restrictions making it easier to convert the properties. Democratic State Senator Benjie Wimberly is one of the sponsors of the bill, and she says New Jersey needs at least 200,000 more housing units. Wimberly says vacant malls are an ideal space for housing. Several conversion projects are already underway across the Garden State including at Monmouth Mall and East Brunswick Mall.