Philadelphia's mayor is calling President Donald Trump a "fragile egomaniac" for disinviting the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles from their scheduled White House visit. The team was supposed to meet with the President today, but he rescinded his invitation reportedly because the full team would not be in attendance in what Trump speculates would have been a move of protest against his stance that players stand before games during the National Anthem. Mayor Jim Kenney says he's proud of the Eagles' activism, stating, "They stand up for the causes they believe in and who contribute in meaningful ways to their community." Kenney then said, "This proves our President is not a true patriot, but a fragile egomaniac obsessed with crowd size and afraid of the embarrassment of throwing a party to which no one wants to attend."
Former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith is speaking out after President Trump disinvited the team from the traditional trip to the White House after a Super Bowl win. A statement from the White House said the full team wasn't going to show up today because President Trump believes in players standing for the National Anthem. Smith tweeted that he though the statement was "so many lies," and that no one refused to go simply due to the National Anthem issue. Smith accused the President of continuing to spread what he called a false narrative that players are anti-military, adding "It's a cowardly act to cancel the celebration because the majority of the people don't want to see you."
We may find out more details today about last Friday's shooting outside the Lehigh Valley Mall. Whitehall's police chief says both of the people who were shot are expected to survive. The shooting happened Friday night around 7 o'clock outside Macy's. The shooter drove off and remains at large.
The attorney for ex-Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski has asked a federal judge to delay Pawlowski's sentencing on federal corruption charges. Pawlowski is supposed to be sentenced on June 27th, but Jack McMahon asked the judge for a 60-day delay. Today's Morning Call reports the U.S. attorney's office has indicated it would not oppose a delay of 30 days or less. There's no word yet on when the judge will rule on McMahon's request.
A Montgomery County man faces charges in Lehigh County for killing someone while allegedly not paying attention to the road. Khalif Skinner was charged Monday with several offenses, including homicide by vehicle. Skinner is accused of taking his eyes off the road in order to hand a cell phone to someone else in his car as he drove on Route 222 in Lower Macungie Township last October. Police say Skinner rear-ended the car in front of him, leading to the death of a Virginia man.
An Allentown man is charged with groping a woman and then threatening her. Police say 23-year-old Dionel Delacruz dragged the woman into his garage on North Sixth Street Sunday morning and began to forcibly kiss her, push her against a wall and grope her before she was able to escape. When the woman told Delacruz's girlfriend what had happened, he allegedly threatened to kill his alleged victim and pointed a gun to her head.
A good chunk of the old Fernwood Resort in Monroe County burned Sunday night. Alex Dipaolo is the Bushkill Fire Chief. "We found heavy fire in the old gym area, which then spread into the arcade area and then into the old hotel rooms," Dipaolo says. The cause of the fire is undetermined. No injuries are reports. Fernwood closed back in 2014, but a Buddhist group bought the property last year with an eye to building what it called a world peace center.
Scott Wagner, the GOP candidate for governor, resigned from his position in the state Senate as of midnight last night. In his farewell speech, the often outspoken Wagner said, "If I have offended people inside this chamber, other people in the building or state government, I offer my apology." Wagner resigned to dedicate himself to the governor's race.
New Jersey is a step closer to allowing sports betting. A bill that will allow people ages 21 and over to place bets online and in person at casinos sailed through several committees Monday. The bill moves to the full legislature for a vote Thursday, which would then only require the signature of Gov. Phil Murphy to become law. Murphy has already said in the past he looks forward to authorizing and regulating sports betting in the Garden State.
Garden State residents will be heading to the polls today for primary elections. Residents can vote for candidates in all 12 Congressional seats, including the ones for retiring veteran congressman Frank LoBiondo and Rodney Frelinghuysen. Sen. Bob Menendez is expected to easily defeat Democrat challenger and small business owner Lisa McCormick, but will likely face a tougher challenge against the Republican candidate come November as potential front runner Bob Hugin trails Menendez by just a few points in recent polls.
Flyers fans in the Lehigh Valley won't have to head to the Wells Fargo Center to catch their favorite team this fall. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms say the Flyers will host the New York Islanders in a preseason game at PPL Center on September 21st. This will be the fourth straight year that the Flyers will play a preseason game in Allentown. Tickets go on sale Thursday morning at 10 o'clock.
With the third overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft, the Phillies picked Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm, who told the MLB Network what he needs to do to make it to the big leagues. "Just work ethic. You've gotta go out there every day and take it one day at a time and continue to work hard and get better every day," Bohm says. The Major League Baseball Draft continues today.