A Lehigh County judge has denied bail modifications for Tracy and Joshua Dechant. They are the Lower Macungie Township couple accused of starving their teen sons and forcing them to stand naked in the freezing cold outside their Lower Macungie Township home in January of last year, when the boys were 15 years old. The Dechants wanted bail terms changed to allow them to have contact with their three other children. Lehigh County DA Gavin Holihan explains why he opposed that. "Generally, our position is when a defendant can have contact with someone, they are close with who's a potential witness. There's always a possibility that will taint testimony either intentionally or unintentionally. We think in the light of this case it is a substantial factor in order to keep this case on track," said Holihan. The Dechants are expected back in court on this case on May 7.
Police say they used a stun gun to subdue a 37-year-old Allentown man who is accused of firing gunshots just before 7 o'clock Wednesday morning. Police were called to the 100 block of West Tilghman Street for reports of gunfire. They found Karriem Muhammad Jr., who matched the description of the person who fired the shots. Police say Muhammad ran away and was reaching near his waist and refused verbal commands to stop. At that point, police say they used a stun gun on him. Officers say they recovered a firearm from Muhammad.
For the first time in a long time, professional wrestling is coming to the Allentown Fair. “Stars, Stripes & Slams,” will be held Sept. 3 and will feature wrestlers such as The Good Brothers, N-ZO, Heath, Tito Santana, Shane Douglas and James Ellsworth. A meet and greet for fans will be held that night from 6-7 p.m. before the matches, which start at 7:30 p.m. For many years in the 70s and 80s, Ag Hall served as a regular TV taping site for what is now known as the WWE.
Lehigh Valley consumers will soon have another choice for internet services. Empire Fiber Internet will provide 100% fiber optic internet services to more than 35,000 homes and businesses in the Valley. The company already has a footprint across Pennsylvania, including Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Hazleton, Bloomsburg and Erie. The company has not given a service start date.
Part of a road that spans Lower Mount Bethel Township is closed because of a deep sinkhole. Martins Creek Belvidere Highway/Route 611 is closed in both directions from around Church Road to Hillendale Road. The road runs through a rural area near Three Church Hill Arts and Historical Society’s Bell Tower Cultural Center.
If you have plans for an outdoor Easter egg hunt, Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says you may need to take it indoors depending on when you want to hold it. "It's looking more like rain is going to be around earlier. It's probably going to rain right out of the gate at sunrise, if not right after that. But I think by the end of the day, it'll be done. We may end the day with some sun," Lundberg says. There's also a chance for a little rain tonight and tomorrow as well.
Governor Josh Shapiro is hitting a high water mark in fundraising as he looks to be reelected. The governor's campaign generated over $10 million in donations during the first three months of this year. That is a new state record, more than doubling the previous record for a Pennsylvania governor's race at this stage in the cycle. Shapiro is expected to go up against Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity in the general election this fall. That race will be set following the Pennsylvania primary next month.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity is the only Republican candidate on the ballot in the May primary for governor, but supporters of Doug Mastriano are urging voters to write in his name instead. Organizers say the effort is meant to challenge Garrity's early party backing. Garrity says she is not concerned and expects Republicans to unite after the primary.
President Trump is giving Republicans until June first to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson announcing a plan to fund the entirety of DHS through appropriations and reconciliation. Republican Senator Dave McCormick thinks the plan has enough backing from the GOP. "I can't speak for all Republicans, but I sure think we're going to have enough votes to get that done," McCormick says. DHS has been shut down for nearly two months.
One Jersey Shore lawmaker wants all schools to have the same spring break. State Senator Patrick Diegnan from Middlesex says his bill would direct the state's education commissioner to recommend every school district's spring break fall the same week. Diegnan says inconsistent breaks mean families can't take vacations together, especially when a mom or a dad is a teacher at one district and their child attends another. Each district sets its own calendar and schools across the Garden State are not required to offer a spring break.
One of the Jersey Shore's most popular beaches is now under a state of emergency. Sort of. Emergency erosion repairs have started on North Wildwood's beach in Cape May County, with a bulkhead being built near the city's beach patrol headquarters. Mayor Salvatore Zampirri tells CBS Philadelphia the bulkhead will tie in to the existing bulkheads, and the one-point-five-million dollar project will take about six weeks before wrapping up by Memorial Day weekend. He also said their beach's entire dune system was about to collapse without the emergency repairs, and water would have been flowing into nearby streets.
Sometimes it is good to bring sand to the beach. The borough of Avalon in Cape May County is moving ahead with plans to truck 63,000 cubic yards of sand to eroded parts of its shoreline. Work will start in a few weeks on Avalon's north end. Officials approved spending $600,000 on the replenishment project before the summer season.
Researchers say they think a vessel strike may have led to the death of a humpback whale whose carcass washed up on the beach in Sandy Hook this week. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center says the whale was a young female in otherwise good condition and initial indications point to a vessel strike as a possible cause of death. Examiners found signs of blunt force trauma on her body. After the necropsy was completed, her body was buried on the beach.