LANTA says its service to the Lehigh Valley Mall may be discontinued in June. LANTA Executive Director Owen O'Neill says says it was not their decision, but rather the mall's owner requested LANTA relocate its service off of mall property after attempts to negotiate a new lease failed. O'Neill says LANTA was told the mall had safety concerns with the current LANTA location outside of Boscov's and the extent LANTA buses need to travel on mall property to get there. The transit agency says it is now seeking rider feedback via a survey to find an alternate service location.
A Lehigh Valley developer wants to turn the original Crayola crayon factory into apartments. Nat Hyman bought the property along the Bushkill Creek for $3 million last year and says he's like to convert the four buildings into 94 one-bedroom apartments. In order for that to happen, the Palmer Township zoning board would have to change zoning for the property. After a two hour meeting Tuesday, the board scheduled another hearing on the issue on February 4.
The Monroe County Coroner has identified the man killed in a late Tuesday night fire in Tannersville. 79-year-old James Archer died in the house fire, which began just before 11pm. One other person was taken to the hospital. There is no word on their condition.
On CNN Wednesday, ex-Lehigh Valley Congresswoman Susan Wild was asked if she had any concerns about President Biden's cognitive abilities leading up to last summer's debate with Donald Trump. "I was confident in his mental acuity. I did have great concerns about his ability to project and to speak," Wild said. She said she could be a few feet away from the president and she'd have difficulty understanding what he was saying and that caused her concern, but she had no specific concern about his cognitive abilities.
The death of a 24-year-old woman in Schuylkill Haven is being investigated. State Police spokesman Ethan Brownback describes what investigators saw when they arrived at the home. "It did appear to be in disarray. Evidence of illegal drugs and paraphernalia were seized," Brownback says. Brownback says the woman was found partially clothed in a stairwell with ligature marks on her neck. He says the death is considered an isolated incident and there's no future danger to the public.
A Pennsylvania Congressman that represents Lebanon County is reportedly considering a run for governor. According to reports, Republican Dan Meuser is "seriously" looking at entering next year's race. Meuser is entering his fourth term representing the commonwealth's Ninth District. Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro has yet to announce if he is running for re-election.
The Senate is expected to hold confirmation hearings over the coming weeks for President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet nominations. Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman says he can think of at least four nominees he'll vote to approve. "Whether it's Marco Rubio, Rep. Elise Stefanik or even Sean Duffy and Brooke Rollins for Secretary of Agriculture," Fetterman says.
Today has been declared a national day of observance in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, who died December 29 at the age of 100. As part of that declaration, the U.S. Postal Service will suspend all regular mail, retail services and office activity today. There will be limited package delivery service today however.
The New Jersey Health Department says there's been a spike in norovirus cases with a massive increase in outbreaks. State health officials say norovirus cases, which cause diarrhea and vomiting, have peaked in New Jersey following holiday gatherings. Last month's data show 70 norovirus outbreaks statewide compared to 15 in 2023 -- a 66-percent increase. Those numbers don't include individual cases because they're not reportable.
Penn State will play for a spot in the national championship tonight. The Nittany Lions are taking on Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Orange Bowl. Penn State is seeking its first-ever appearance in a national title game since the system was established in 1998. Kickoff is set for 7:30.
The Eagles are getting some good news on their injured star quarterback. Jalen Hurts returned to practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a concussion on December 22nd. Left tackle Jordan Mailata said he looked "sharp" and head coach Nick Sirianni once again reiterated that he isn't concerned about rust. Hurts missed the last two games of the regular season and still needs to pass the NFL's concussion protocol to start Philadelphia's Wild Card round showdown against the Packers from Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.