A daycare owner in Bethlehem Township has been charged with felony child endangerment. Investigators say Sheryl Chapel ignored her duties at her Family Daycare following incidents that left a child injured. That child was bruised and marked after he fell down stairs, was run over by a toy car and hit by another child on a swing. The state Department of Human Services has stripped her of her license, though Chapel is appealing.
A local hospital has closed its maternity ward due to low patient demand and limited staff support. Easton Hospital closed its maternity ward Friday, but says its Emergency Department is capable of delivering a baby in an emergency. The hospital will coordinate the appropriate neonatal care at a nearby hospital. The hospital said it would work to find new opportunities for employees affected by the closure.
Police in Bucks County are looking for whoever took two puppies from a Richland Township kennel last week. Owners of the Willow Spring Kennel say somebody stole two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels from them overnight Friday. The seven-week-old pups named Ansel and Adelaide, are worth more than $3000. Anyone with information is asked to call local police.
Musikfest continues to fill out its Wind Creek Steel Stage lineup for this summer's festival. Poison will be the headliner the night of Friday, August 7th. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday. Previous headliners already announced for Musikfest include Shinedown on August 4, Willie Nelson on August 5, and Darius Rucker on August 8.
Renovations will be made to turn the old Marshalls Creek Fire Company into a warming station. Middle Smithfield Township has received more than $50,000 in casino money to make the changes. 100 people are able to fit into the building, which is currently being used for meetings by the volunteer fire company. Officials hope to have the building complete by next winter. Firefighters are expected to be on duty while the building is in use.
Electronic cigarette manufacturer Juul is being sued by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who claims the company is guilty of deceptive marketing. "Juul proceded to use internally-made graphs and bogus promotional material to try to prove their product had lower levels of nicotine, again a lie," Shapiro says. Shapiro's suit seeks to halt Juul's sales in Pennsylvania or at a minimum to force the company to revamp its business practices.
Officials with the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh are asking those who left items at a makeshift memorial for the deadly mass shooting in 2018 to come forward. Leaders at the synagogue want to preserve the memorial and are attempting to identify why those mourners chose the items they did. The items left at the memorial include a guitar, a medal from a marathon and high-tops.
A number of medical marijuana patients in New jersey may one day be able to get their weed while skipping a trip to the doctor's office. A bill that would okay telemedicine consultations for medical marijuana passed the Senate Monday by a 36-1 count. The next step would be passage in the state Assembly before reaching Gov. Phil Murphy's desk, but the Assembly has yet to introduce a version to consider.
The U.S. Department of Justice is working to force New Jersey to share information concerning the immigration status and release dates of people in Garden State custody. The department filed a complaint Monday against New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy and state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. The complaint seeks to declare a state directive that prohibits the sharing of the aforementioned immigration information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement invalid. Federal officials allege New Jersey's directive violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, but Grewal is calling the move a "stunt" related to President Trump's re-election bid.
State officials are saying betting on the 2020 Academy Awards moved big bucks around the Garden State. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement says more than $380,000 were wagered at authorized casinos and internet gaming sites on all Oscars categories. However, more than $340,000 were also paid out to winners gambling on the awards show. In the end, the state's gaming industry won about ten-and-a-half percent of the overall wagering.
The Philadelphia 76ers may end up paying New Jersey thousands of collars over a big tax break. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority wants the 76ers to pay back $400,000 in economic incentives. The Authority alleges the 76ers got a bigger tax break than it deserved after moving to the team's Camden practice facilities. The 76ers reportedly sought $82 million in tax incentives from New Jersey and the team says the fees at issue are connected to its application, which it claims was executed with total transparency.