The Allentown School District School Board of Directors has approved a big purchase. At its Thursday night meeting, the board approved spending nearly $15 million to buy more than 16 acres of land on the old Allentown State Hospital property to build a new K-8 school. The school will be a nearly 200,000-square-foot building which will accommodate approximately 1,200 students. The district says the school could be open in time for the 2027-2028 school year.
We're learning more about Lehigh Valley Health Network's plans for the former home of Bethlehem Steel's Martin Tower. LVHN says it has two new medical sites planned. The Women’s Health Center at Tower Place and Health Center at Tower Place are set to open this summer. The two facilities will have a combined footprint of 100,000 square feet. Construction on the buildings began last year.
One person was killed in a Thursday afternoon crash on Route 33. Police say a car went off the road near the Belfast exit and hit a tree just before 4:30. The accident happened during a heavy snow squall that reduced visibility and created some slick driving conditions.
Pennsylvania Congressman Ryan Mackenzie is opening more offices in his district. The Republican Representative has announced three new offices on West Hamilton Street in Allentown, Interchange Road in Lehighton, and on Emrick Boulevard in Bethlehem. He said they would serve as "local hubs for constituent services." The officers are open Monday through Friday from nine a.m. to five p.m.
A suspect facing charges of indecent exposure following an incident at the Kalahari resort in Tobyhanna Township has pleaded no contest. Forty-one-year-old Josiah Grauso allegedly exposed himself in the park's lazy river area. Grauso also pleaded no contest to charges of open lewdness and disorderly conduct in connection with the December incident.
There's a potentially dangerous problem growing in the Easton Area School District. From September to January, school officials there say there have been more than 1500 instances of drivers failing to stop while school buses are either loading or unloading children. Tyson Unangst, with the Palmer Township PD, says those drivers are risking fines of up to $300. "We understand that it's a lot of money. We are prioritizing the safety of the children," Unangst says. Almost half of those 1500 violations happened within a three block stretch of Route 248.
President Trump is appointing Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to the Council of Governors. Shapiro was recently announced as one of Trump's ten picks to serve on the bipartisan council. The Council of Governors is responsible for "strengthening state-federal partnerships" on key issues including national security, disaster response, and military coordination. Shapiro's office said he looks forward to engaging with leaders from across the country to create opportunity for the commonwealth.
Nursing shortages continue across Pennsylvania. One young nurse explains part of the problem. "Once COVID hit, everybody was so strung out and a lot of hospitals have not gone back to what they once were," the woman says.
Wildwood Crest has withdrawn from a major beach project that would replenish Five Mile Island. The withdrawal comes over concerns the project would not supply enough sand for the upcoming summer season. Advance planning for the $40 million project was considered nearly complete, but officials don't expect the work to begin until next year. Wildwood Crest officials have pointed to concerns that sand for the project will need to be borrowed from a beach already used by beachgoers. They say doing so would not provide enough space for beachgoers and portable restrooms.
One member of the Super Bowl champions' offensive line has gone under the knife. According to ESPN, Eagles Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens underwent a back procedure Tuesday in Los Angeles to alleviate nerve pain. Doctors believe a full recovery is expected by July, in time for training camp. Jurgens missed the start of the NFC Championship Game before replacing Landon Dickerson in the second half. The 25-year-old was taken in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Nebraska. Philadelphia has the 32nd overall pick in the 2025 draft.