iHeartMedia lost lost a member of its family over the weekend. Longtime WZZO personality The Bearman passed away unexpectedly Saturday at the age of 64. A release from iHeartMedia management reads in part, "With great sadness, we must inform you of The Bearman's sudden and unexpected passing. He was a wonderful family man and great partner with his friend and teammate Keith. At this difficult time, we ask that your thoughts are with Bearman's family and friends." The Bearman & Keith show was a local radio staple on WZZO save for two years since 1988.
Accu-Weather's Elliot Abrams says today is definitely a 'hold onto your hat' kind of day. "Howling winds at tropical storm strength will knock down all kinds of debris. So if you're driving through a wooded area be aware there could be some branches blocking the road or coming down across the road," Abrams says. He says winds may gust beyond 50 miles per hour today. A high wind warning remains in effect through six o'clock tonight.
PPL reports more than 17,000 of its customers are without service earlier this morning due to downed power lines caused by very strong winds. Of those 17,000 roughly 1400 of those PPL customers were in Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties.
Police are on the lookout for a pair of men behind a Coplay home invasion taking place over the weekend. The male suspects entered a South Third Street home Saturday night and robbed nine people of their wallets and cellphones at gunpoint. Police believe this was a targeted attack and while they don't believe the community at large is in danger, residents are advised to remain vigilant.
Police are investigating weekend vandalism at the Northwestern Lehigh Recreation Fields in Lynn Township. Several tire donuts wree dug into the fields, which are located just off of Route 309 across the street from Northwestern Lehigh High School. The vandals also flipped over bleachers and knocked over porta-potties. There's no word on whether authorities have identified any suspects.
Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor is coming to Schuylkill County this week to hear what locals think about the legalization of recreational marijuana. John Fetterman has been running a listening tour that has traveled across the Commonwealth and will be stopping in Pottsville next on Saturday. Fetterman will be at the Majestic Theater at 1pm for a 90-minute session in which he'll be connecting with locals about the possibilities of legal pot. The tour will eventually make its way through all 67 state counties, but there's been no announcement concerning the next stop following Saturday's meeting.
Officials in State College say the annual State Patty's Day celebration was a bit quieter than normal. While a final tally isn't expected until today or tomorrow, police called things fairly uneventful for the annual alcohol-fueled party. The event grew so large in recent years that the borough of State College and Penn State University offered bar owners $5000 to stay closed on the day of the event.