Police in Allentown have arrested a 16-year-old boy, who is now charged with murdering a 15-year-old boy in Stevens Park in Allentown Sunday afternoon. Lehigh County DA Jim Martin says surveillance cameras caught Elijah Patterson in an altercation with Treshawn Tracy Sunday morning and then again later in the day. "There was an apparent altercation between Patterson and Tracy near the time of the shooting and for some, unknown reason, Patterson shot Tracy three times," Martin says. Tracy was dead at the scene. Patterson was eventually arrested Monday in the 400 block of Tilghman Street. After his arraignment, bail was denied and Patterson was sent to Lehigh County Jail.
Police are asking residents in an Easton neighborhood to check their surveillance cameras after gunshots were heard Monday night. Gunfire was heard just after 9 p.m. in the area of 13th and Pine streets. A home and two vehicles were hit by the shots. Police believe at least two men were involved in a disturbance in the area before the shooting. One was a Black man wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and white sweatpants, and the other was a Black man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a backpack. The second man ran north on 13th Street.
Allentown police leaders say an officer acted appropriately in a video that is drawing criticism on social media. The department says 21-year-old Rey Jomar Torres Garcia was armed with a screwdriver and refused to comply with the officer before he was taken to the ground on September 20th. The statement goes on to say the arresting officer did place his knee on Torres Garcia's back, but not on his neck or head. The application of force in the incident has been reviewed and is appropriate according to city police.
A local school district was on lockdown Tuesday due to police activity in the area. All schools in the Southern Lehigh School District were locked down because of law enforcement activity after a traffic incident. In a notice on its website, the district stressed there was no threat to students.
Operators at Lehigh Valley International Airport are reporting the busiest August in the last eight years. Passenger data released yesterday shows an increase of more than 13 percent over the same month last year. Allegiant Airlines saw the most significant increase in passenger counts, serving roughly 33 percent more travelers than a year ago. Airport Authority officials say the summer travel season was busy overall, and got an early start, with an initial jump in traffic beginning in April and May.
The old Forks Diner will be used for a very different purpose. The owners of Wrenchtec in Nazareth have bought the old diner on Sullivan Trial and will install six bays to serve auto repair customers by early spring of next year.
A woman is dead following a crash in Monroe County. The crash happened yesterday afternoon on Hallett Road off Cherry Lane Road in Pocono Township. Police say a vehicle lost control and slammed into a tree. Seventy-three-year-old Nancy Bocchini of East Stroudsburg was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
While gas prices nationally moved up seven cents a gallon last week, here in both the Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania, prices continued to dip. In Pennsylvania, the average price for a gallon of unleaded dropped five cents to $3.79. That's still 46 cents more than one year ago. In the Lehigh Valley, gas prices dropped six cents down to $3.68 a gallon, 39 cents higher than last September 27th.
With just weeks to go before the general election, the Democratic candidates are leading the Republican candidates in statewide contests. New polling released by Marist yesterday shows Democratic Lt. Governor John Fetterman ahead of Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz 51-percent to 41-percent in the race for U.S. Senate. In the contest for governor, Democratic State Attorney General Josh Shapiro has a wider lead over Republican State Senator Doug Mastriano at 53-percent to 40-percent. According to the poll, inflation is the top issue on the minds of voters this election cycle.
A popular salad dressing sold at Aldi grocery stores is the subject of a voluntary recall. TreeHouse Foods is recalling 16-ounce bottles of their Tuscan Garden Restaurant Style Italian Dressing that were sold in stores between August 23rd and September 23rd of this year featuring a 'best buy' date of August 10th 2023. The food company reports that some bottles may actually contain Asian Sesame Dressing meaning the use of undisclosed wheat and soy. Aldi operates a number of stores in the Lancaster and Reading areas.