After a three-hour Wednesday night meeting of a special committee of Allentown City Council, the committee voted 2-1 to forward four proposed abortion rights ordinances to the next full council meeting. Allentown City Council chambers were packed by those both in support and opposed to the four proposed ordinances. Those ordinances would created 15-foot buffer zones around abortion providers; prohibit pregnancy centers from trying to draw women wanting an abortion by claiming abortion counseling is offered there; order police to not enforce any violations of abortion-related crime if the procedure is ever outlawed; and protect abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution. The sponsor of the bills, Joshua Siegel, and Cynthia Mota voted in favor of forwarding them to the full council. Council President Daryl Hendricks voted no to all the ordinances.
The remains of a soldier from Northampton are being returned home after more than 70 years. Army officials say new technology has helped identify the remains of Edward Reiter, a Korean War soldier who was buried as an unknown in a war memorial cemetery in Hawaii. In June, Reiter's remains were identified. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Reiter will be buried in Northampton in the fall.
Thursday marks the first of two Allentown Health Bureau clinics to administer the monkeypox vaccine to high-risk individuals. Both today's clinic and the one on September 1 will occur from 4 to 6 in the afternoon. There are only 30 appointments each day. To schedule an appointment, call the Allentown Health Bureau at 610-437-7760. The vaccine is given in two doses. The second dose will be scheduled at the time a person gets their first vaccine.
With the passage of a bill this past session in the state legislature, several Lehigh Valley school districts will be equipped with new safety cameras this fall. The technology will allow school districts to capture images of drivers as they speed by stopped buses. The Allentown, Bethlehem, Northwestern Lehigh and Kutztown school districts will all use the cameras on their buses.
Seven counties in the area lead the state in high property taxes for schools. A new report by the State Independent Fiscal Office shows that nearly $16 billion in school property taxes were collected statewide in fiscal 2021. Monroe County's share was the highest in the state and Northampton came in seventh on the list. Seven of the top 12 counties were in the Lehigh Valley region. Those include Lehigh, Northampton, Berks and Monroe counties.
Pennsylvania St. Sen. Dave Argall is pressing Lt. Gov John Fetterman to disclose information on his health crisis. He wants the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate to share records detailing the timing and means he used to inform Gov. Tom Wolf about the stroke he suffered in May. Argall says gaps in the existing law on reporting need to be examined, starting with the lieutenant governor's records.
Hyundai Motor America and Kia America are recalling select Hyundai Palisades and Kia Tellurides of model years 2020-2022 due to the risk of fires. The companies recommend that owners of recalled vehicles park their cars outside and away from homes and other structures until their vehicles have been repaired.
New Jersey beaches are cleaner than last year. Data from the state's Coastal Monitoring Program showed only ten beaches tested positive for contamination. That's out of the 200 beaches on New Jersey's coast line. In comparison, the state had almost 40 contaminated beaches last year. Officials say less rainfall and less runoff helped the water stay cleaner.
The Ironpigs beat Gwinnett 6-5. Bryce Harper was the hero with a walkoff two-run double in the bottom of the ninth. Harper was 3-for-5 with two runs batted in in his second rehab appearance at Coca-Cola Park. The reigning National League MVP is working his way back to the Phillies after breaking his thumb June 25th in San Diego.