Authorities have identified the Easton woman killed Sunday in a single-vehicle crash in Bethlehem Township. Police say a Nissan Altima was found after it had hit a pair of trees near William Penn Highway and Chipman Road. Inside the vehicle was an injured male driver and a dead female passenger, now identified as 35-year-old Nicole Guzman. The driver's condition has not been reported. Police say the vehicle crashed after being on the wrong side of the roadway.
With bird flu having arrived in our area, the Lehigh Valley Zoo has taken precautions to keep its bird population safe. "We've built a lot of roofs over the top of our bird enclosures. So, all of our birds of prey, the eagles, hawks and owls now have roofs over top of them now," zoo CEO Amanda Schurr says that will keep bird droppings from wild birds from falling into the zoo's bird enclosures. Birds in enclosures where roofs are not possible have been moved indoors for the time being. Those birds include barnyard birds, waterfowl and penguins.
Northampton County Council President Lori Vargo Heffner is keeping that title after she turned aside a challenge mounted by Councilman Jeff Warren, who explained why he was challenging her. "In my first year, I really witnessed — I think all of us did — witnessed a lot of discord between the council president and the administration, and quite frankly, I think we need to have a conduit on this council who will actually sit down, meet with the county executive, hash out the issues and have an open dialogue with the administration," said Warren. Vargo Heffner retained her leadership post in a 5-3 vote. John Goffredo was elected council vice president.
Area travelers can register for TSA PreCheck at Lehigh Valley International Airport this week. Starting today until Friday, you can book an appointment to complete your registration at the airport after filling out an application online. Passengers with TSA PreCheck spend less time in security lines and don't have to remove their shoes during screenings. To start an application, go to the Lehigh Valley International Airport website.
Officials are ordering the closure of a Monroe County hotel. Guests were forced to leave a FairBridge Inn & Suites in Stroudsburg this week when Borough Code Enforcement shut the hotel down due to a lack of hot water, heat and electricity. The West Main Street hotel has 30 days to submit an application outlining a plan for repairs.
Someone who recently purchased a lottery ticket in Northampton County is holding a ticket that is worth millions. The ticket was bought at a Giant food store in Wind Gap for this past Friday's Cash4Life game and matched all five numbers drawn plus the green Cash Ball. The winner can choose between $1000 a day for life or a cash option of $7 million.
Municipal leaders in western Pennsylvania are not giving up as they push for the merger between U.S. Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel in a bid to save local jobs. West Mifflin Mayor Chris Kelly invited other mayors in the area and Nippon's Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori to his home to discuss the buyout. Both Nippon and U.S. Steel have filed lawsuits against the Biden Administration after the president announced last week that the sale would be blocked on national security grounds. Mayor Kelly and the other community officials say they plan to request a meeting with President-elect Trump as they try to get Biden's decision reversed.
Four January 6th defendants from New Jersey have tried to use President-elect Trump's pledge to pardon them once he's in office to try to delay or suspend their sentences. So far, their pleas have been unsuccessful. Christian Alfonso from Galloway Township is scheduled to be sentenced Friday for entering with the rioters and posting pictures of himself in then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. Last month, Federal Judge Reggie Walton denied the request, stating that seeking a pardon is not a reason to delay his sentencing hearing. Another defendant -- Robert Coppotelli from Toms River -- also saw his request for a delay denied. Tyler Campanella of Tenafly and Lee Giobbie of Eastampton have also sought delays in their trials based on Trump's comments.
New Jersey's State Commission of Investigation has announced it has hired a new CEO. The commission says it has hired Tiffany Williams Brewer to be its next chief executive officer. She chaired the commission from 2022 through last year and has served as interim CEO since the death of the organization's last CEO, Chadd Lackey, who was killed in a car accident in July. Brewer is a former New Jersey Administrative Law judge and law professor.
