Crowds in excess of one million people are expected Friday for the Eagles Super Bowl parade. Philadelphia Managing Director Adam Thiel offers a couple tips for parade-goers. "Have a plan. Know where you want to go, how you're going to get there and how you're going to get back. Don't just show up. Designate an emergency meetup location for everybody in your party. Don't depend on cell phone service," Thiel says. The parade's route begins at 11am at the Sports Complex, moves north around City Hall to the Ben Franklin Parkway and Philadelphia Art Museum, where it is scheduled to arrive at approximately 12:30 or 1 p.m. From there, the Eagles players and coaches are to make their way to the famous Rocky Steps for a ceremony scheduled to last from approximately 2-3:15 p.m. SEPTA is offering free service Friday on its Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines with trains running every six-to-eight minutes to help get the fans in and out of the city as quickly as possible.
Nazareth High School is planning a celebration to honor a graduate that is now a Super Bowl champion. The school has announced it will hold Jahan Dotson Day this summer. Athletic Director Ray Ramella says plans for the event were under discussion with the Eagles wide receiver before they won the Big Game. It will include a clinic for kids and other events with Dotson.
It's a big step forward for what could become Allentown School District's newest school. During its Tuesday meeting, the Allentown Planning Commission gave conditional final plan approval to a two-story, 200,000-square-foot academy planned for the former Allentown State Hospital site along Hanover Avenue in east Allentown. The school would be built on 16.7 acres of land that the Allentown School District will buy from City Center Investment Corp., which is developing the 195-acre property. If all goes according to plan, there could be a groundbreaking for the school this summer and the school, which would house students from kindergarten through eighth grade, could open in the fall of 2027.
An Allentown man will spend a year-and-a-half to five years in prison after the death of a three-year-old boy in March of last year. 29-year-old Jose Abreu was sentenced Tuesday two months after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. Abreu left a loaded handgun on a pillow on the couch where both Elijah Borgen and a two-year-old child were sitting. Investigators say Elijah picked up the gun and shot himself in the chest. He died a short while later at the hospital.
Make it three Republicans who want to become the next Lehigh County executive. Ex-Allentown police Chief and City Council President Roger MacLean entered the race Tuesday. In his announcement, MacLean said, “I am seeking the Republican nomination because I believe in time-tested conservative principles: responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, personal accountability, and common-sense solutions that foster growth while preserving our community’s unique character.” MacLean joins former Allentown School Board Director Mike Welsh and former state Rep. Justin Simmons as Republican candidates. Democratic state Rep. Josh Siegel has also announced his candidacy to replace fellow Democrat Phil Armstrong, who is term-limited.
One person was taken to the hospital after an apartment fire in Lehigh County on Tuesday. Authorities said the blaze was reported at a mixed-use building in Coplay that also contains a restaurant. The victim's condition is not known at this time. The Bacon Strip restaurant says it is closed until further notice due to smoke and water damage from the fire.
Gas prices in the Lehigh Valley went up nearly three cents in the seven days ending Tuesday. According to AAA East Central, the average price for a gallon of gas is now at $3.23 in the area. That's 16 cents below last February 11th's price. Across Pennsylvania, the average price for a gallon of gas is at $3.35, up a cent from the previous week and six cents below last year's price.
After picking up an inch of snow last night into this morning, Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says a second storm will be bringing a wintry mix later today. "While there will be some snow in the air late today and early tonight, it should flip over to sleet, freezing rain and plain rain late tonight and continue into tomorrow morning before ending," Lundberg says. Untreated surfaces could be a bit slippery until the wintry mix changes over to plain rain.
The Monroe County Magisterial District Court is blocking off this Friday for weddings. As part of its services to the community, the court performs marriage ceremonies throughout the year but reportedly does more than its fair share on Valentine's Day. The court is waiving its usual 56-dollar fee for ceremonies for couples getting married this Friday. Folks interested in scheduling their ceremony can call 570-517-3009.
The Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County is accused of failing to pay table games dealers more than five-million dollars in wages and overtime. A lawsuit concerning the matter has been filed in federal court. According to the lawsuit, hundreds of dealers were reportedly shorted pay with work hours being rounded off, overtime being improperly calculated and supervisors taking a share of pooled tips.
Pennsylvania resident Marc Fogel, who was wrongfully detained in a Russian prison for three and a half years, has been released after talks between the Trump administration and the Kremlin. Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick tells Fox News he had been working on getting Fogel back home to his family. "I first his mother in Butler the same day President Trump met her, the day he was shot. During that visit, President Trump told her, if elected, he would do everything he could to bring her son home and I promised I'd do everything I could," McCormick said. Sen. John Fetterman issued a statement reading, "Marc Fogel's return home is long overdue. I commend President Trump and Steve Witkoff for their efforts in finally bringing Marc home." Fogel was serving a 14-year sentence after being arrested for possessing medical marijuana in Russia. It's unclear if the U.S. gave anything to Russia in return.
Many Pennsylvania leaders are sharing their reactions to the release of Marc Fogel. The Pittsburgh-area teacher is back in the U.S. after being imprisoned in Russia since 2021. Governor Josh Shapiro released a statement welcoming Fogel home last night and thanking White House officials for working on his release.
A New Jersey woman has won an eleven-and-a-half million dollar settlement from the state after she suffered a stroke while driving -- but was mistakenly arrested for DUI. An Essex County jury found 57-year-old Cheryl Lynn Rhines was denied urgent medical care after troopers mistook her medical emergency as intoxication , which left her permanently disabled. It happened in 2017 when Rhines was driving to work and suffered stroke symptoms while passing through a toll on the New Jersey Turnpike in Newark. Despite her distress, troopers placed her on the hood of her car and ignored her pleas for help.