A local developer has big plans for land he owns in Lehigh County. David Jaindl, who owns the Jaindl Land Co., wants to build 78 homes on roughly 89 acres of what is now mainly farmland in South Whitehall Township. Jaindl's plans call for the houses to be built on five tracts at the intersection of Blue Barn and Chapmans roads. At Thursday night's South Whitehall Planning Commission meeting some South Whitehall residents voiced concerns about stormwater management and the new traffic Jaindl's development could bring to their area.
A Slatington police officer is being credited with perhaps saving a life Thursday morning. Slatington police Chief Greg Winokur says officer Anthony Ballerini ran into a burning duplex on Fifth Street around 8:30 Thursday morning. "He located a single resident on the second floor and was able to escort him out of the house safely," Winokur says. Ballerini is also a volunteer firefighter and his training is also being credited with enabling him to save that man's life. The home suffered extensive damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, however a charging battery is being looked at as the possible culprit.
A 24-year-old Northampton County man is accused of sexually assaulting a sleeping woman two years ago at his Moore Township home. Christopher Madea is free on $50,000 bail after being arraigned on numerous charges. He allegedly sexually assaulted a woman who had fallen asleep in his home back in February 2021. The accuser claims Madea only stopped assaulting her when others in the ome woke up.
Air Products' CEO is keeping that title. Air Products has extended its contract with chairman, CEO and president Seifi Ghasemi. The initial extension is effective September 30, 2024 and runs through Sept. 30, 2028. Each year after that, the 78-year-old Ghasemi's contract will automatically be renewed to a five-year term.
There are a couple new residents at the Lehigh Valley Zoo. Red-ruffed lemurs Weasley, a 5-year-old male, and Makira, a 6-year-old female, will make their local public debut on May 26, which is the grand opening of Habitat Madagascar. The new 1,600-square-foot facility has indoor and outdoor spaces for its animals, allowing zoo visitors to observe the lemurs and tortoises throughout the year.
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity says her agency's Contracts e-Library has surpassed 500-thousand entries. Items available at the online site include state government contracts, purchase orders and amendments. Garrity says all entries are available to review anytime, allowing Pennsylvanians the opportunity to see how their tax dollars are being spent. The Contracts e-Library is part of Treasury's Transparency Portal and lists state agency contracts worth five-thousand-dollars or more that are dated since the middle of 2008.
Members of Congress are introducing bipartisan legislation that would require all vehicles to come equipped with AM radio. New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer is leading the effort, saying 47 million people listen to AM radio every week. "The AM radio listening has increased in the last five years. So, over the last five years, AM radio is actually up," Gottheimer says. As auto manufacturers, like Tesla, remove AM radio from their vehicles, the bill would ensure every car comes with AM radio at no additional cost to the consumer.
A new Rutgers-Eagleton survey finds most New Jerseyans support restrictions on concealed carry laws. They also disagree with last year's Supreme Court ruling that struck down parts of New Jersey's concealed carry law. The poll found several parts of New Jersey's concealed carry law are very popular, including mandating firearm safety training courses. Another question that proved popular asked about requiring firearms owners to take out liability insurance.
State assembly members are trying to learn why there's been a rash of dead whales and dolphins washing up on beaches. At least 30 dead whales have washed ashore along the East Coast since December. At a hearing yesterday, several witnesses told the Democratic-led Science Innovation and Technology Committee they believe climate change, and not wind farms, have caused the deaths. However, Republican senator Anthony Bucco described the meeting as a one-sided conversation.