Fans of the Glen Onoko Falls hiking trail at the Lehigh Gorge State Park have until the end of this month to enjoy the popular, but risky trail. The Pennsylvania Game Commission will close the trail to hikers on May 1st. Melissa Rose enjoys the trail and says she shouldn't have to pay the price for mistakes of others. "We're all of a sudden having that taken away because of a few, stupid people. The majority of people suffer because of the stupid few," Rose says. The decision comes after numerous injuries and several deaths on the trail. Officials say rescues put a strain on first responders as well, putting them in danger.
An Allentown man is going to prison for his role in a home invasion that led to a fatal shooting. Issac Navarro was sentenced Tuesday to serve 14 to 40 years in connection to the August 2017 robbery and murder of Jermaine Taylor. Navarro was one of four people who broke into Taylor's home searching for drugs and cash, an incident during which Taylor was shot dead in front of his eight-year-old daughter.
Prosecutors are seeking 10 to 12-and-a-half years in prison for former Reading Mayor Vaughn Specer. Spencer is expected to be sentenced next week for his role in a pay-to-play scheme after being found guilty last year on nine counts of bribery. Spencer traded city contract for campaign donations. His arrest came as part of a similar investigation into contracting practices at Allentown city hall. Ex-Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski is currently serving 15 years in prison after being convicted of similar charges.
Investigators are working to determine what led to the death of a woman in Hamburg. Tuesday, they went in and out of Building A of the Wyndcliffe House Apartments on Chestnut Street after neighbors say a woman in her 60's was found dead by a maintenance worker. An autopsy is planned for tomorrow.
Flu-related deaths in Pennsylvania are still rising. The newest statistics released by the state Department of Health show flu-related fatalities jumped by 13 in the past week. The total number of flu cases in Pennsylvania this flu season has now eclipsed 94,000. 3900 of those cases are in Lehigh County. 3200 are in Northampton County while fewer than 500 are found in Carbon County.
The state House is passing legislation that could allow private clubs to sell six-packs to its members. The measure would allow club members to buy the beer to drink off-site. That bill is now off to the state Senate for consideration.
Pennsylvania is one signature from having its own official state amphibian. The Eastern hellbender will become the official amphibian of Pennsylvania following the signature of Gov. Tom Wolf. The state House voted in favor of the senate bill Tuesday and Wolf's office says the governor intends to sign it. It's believed the designation could provide some protections to the hellbender's habitat, giving it a better chance at survival.
When the United States celebrates its 250th birthday in 2026, Major League Baseball is bringing the All-Star game to Philadelphia. "All of us that are involved in the game, feel like baseball has a special place in America's culture and it's only fitting that we would be here in Philadelphia to be part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of our great nation," baseball commissioner Rob Manfred says. Baseball held its all-star game in Philadelphia in 1976 as part of the nation's bicentennial celebration.