Snowfall totals across the Lehigh Valley ranged from a trained spotter reporting 7.5 inches in Walnutport up to 12.3 inches in Washington Township. The official number at Lehigh Valley International Airport is 9.1 inches. Up in the Poconos, Tobyhanna reported more than 14 inches of snow. This was the Lehigh Valley's biggest snow total in a little over three years.
Post snowstorm power outages continue to plague the Lehigh Valley and entire state. As of 5am, PPL reported more than 35,000 of its Pennsylvania customers were still without service, more than 1500 of whom live in Carbon, Lehigh or Northampton counties. The hardest hit area, according to PPL, is Schuylkill County, where more than 13,000 customers are still in the dark. First Energy says more than 7500 of its customers are without service, nearly 3000 of whom live in Bucks, Lehigh, Monroe or Northampton counties.
Two brothers from Monroe County are charged with participating in the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol. Investigators say 26-year-old Andrew Valentin and his 31-year-old brother Matthew illegally entered the capitol that day in 2021. The Stroudsburg men allegedly pushed a bike rack into a line of officers, sprayed them with chemicals, and threw a chair at them. Felony charges against them include civil disorder and assaulting officers. The brothers also were charged with several misdemeanors.
Authorities in New Jersey say an East Stroudsburg man is dead after he shot a woman to death Monday night. The Warren County Prosecutor's Office reports that Armand Avitable went to a friend's home there after leaving his own home due to some sort of domestic dispute. At the friend's residence in Knowlton, authorities say Avitable got into an argument with his friends, picked up a firearm and shot 58-year-old Cheryl Schilling to death in the home's upstairs. Later, after he had been arrested, Avitable suffered some sort of medical event and was taken to a local hospital where he died.
It hasn't been a great week at the gas pump. AAA East Central says the price of a gallon of gas across Pennsylvania jumped by 12 cents over the past seven days, up to $3.50 as of Tuesday. That is still 22 cents below last year's number. In the Lehigh Valley, the average price stood at $3.43 as of Tuesday, also up 12 cents from the previous week, but 27 cents below one year ago.
Pennsylvania Democrats have kept their majority in the state House. In a special election Tuesday, Bucks County residents chose Jim Prokopiak to represent them. His win gives Democrats a 102-100 majority in the House, which they have defended in four special elections over the past year. A Pike County Republican lawmaker's resignation last week shifted the power back to Democrats and Prokopiak's win kept it in place. The 49-year-old school board member defeated Republican challenger Candace Cabanas. She has reportedly said she plans to run again during the general election.
The Pennsylvania court system's online operations are fully functional again after a cyberattack last week. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd says the portal was crippled by a procedure that keeps legitimate users off a website. Judge Todd also praised the state and federal IT teams that restored operations and says federal agencies are investigating the attack. She hasn't said whether authorities have identified any suspects.
On this Valentine's Day, Bethlehem marriage counselor Joe Kelly says do what makes your partner happy, not what tradition or advertisers say you should do. "If your partner doesn't like roses and they like tulips, then get them tulips and not roses. If your partner really appreciates having you handwrite a note in a card, then do that," Kelly says. He says you shouldn't do what 'you' think is best, try to do what your partner would appreciate most.
Pennsylvanians are celebrating Valentine's Day today. The folks at online retailer candystore.com have examined 16 years of data to come up with what they say are each state's top three favorite candies for the holiday. According to Candy Store, Pennsylvanians take Hershey Kisses as number one, followed by M&M's and Conversation Hearts.
New court documents state that embattled New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez and his wife told at least two people she had inherited gold bars from her late mother. Those are the gold bars that federal prosecutors allege were given to the senator and his wife as part of a larger bribery scheme. But, federal officials say the story, which Nadine Menendez reportedly told to a jeweler, was a false cover story. Menendez, who chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time, is accused of acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. He and his wife are also charged with accepting a wide range of bribes including gold bars, cash and a Mercedes.
Haason Reddick is looking to stay in Philadelphia. The Eagles edge rusher said Tuesday that he never asked for a trade. In a social media post, Reddick did note that he understands the NFL is a business and that he is preparing for whatever comes next. The 29-year-old is scheduled to enter the final season of a three-year, 45-million-dollar contract. Reddick also said that while he never told the organization he wants to be traded, he is hoping to sign an extension.