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A 'younger' Hispanic woman tried to rob a South Allentown gas station Tuesday evening, police said.
The incident happened around 6:10 p.m. at the Sunoco, located at 1602 S. 4th Street.
Police said the woman walked into the gas station, displayed a gun, and demanded money.
When the clerk didn't give her any, she fled in an unknown direction.
No one was hurt and the investigation is continuing,
Anyone with information is asked to call the detective bureau at 610-437-7721.
o'clock hour. >>> jaciel cordoba: No one wants to have food poisoning but did you know about the things you can do it avoid it?>> eve tannery: WFMZs Nancy Werteen has some advice. >>Nancy: The numbers say one in six Americans get sick each year from a food borne illness.There are prevention steps we can take in the kitchenbut experts say there are also a few foods we should just stay away from. >>nancy: some of these foods can make you sick-do you know which ones put you most at risk? first - bagged salad usually says washed but expert say it can be risky because of bacteria and contamination.dont rewash bagged salad because it can lead to cross-contamination of bacteria. next studies show eating too
Temperatures are in the teens to get us started this morning with clouds.
Today we are watching a storm system that will be passing by to our southeast. It looks like a close call, but the precipitation will stay south and east of the viewing area.
As of now we expect to see clouds and some sunshine overhead, more clouds south and east closer to the storm system.
Highs this afternoon will hold in the upper 20s to near 30 degrees.
Tonight, remaining quiet we will keep in just a couple of clouds. Low 15.
LINKS: HOUR BY HOUR FORECAST | LOCAL RADAR
Temperatures will climb slightly into the lower 30s on Thursday with a mix of clouds and sunshine overhead.
The gradual uphill trend in temperatures will continue through the weekend with highs finally reaching the 40s by Sunday afternoon.
The PPL tower at Ninth and Hamilton streets, which has been Allentown’s tallest building since 1927, may be overshadowed in a couple of years by a much taller building that will rise only one block away.
Plans are moving forward for a 33-story building appropriately named The Landmark, which would be constructed on the northwest corner of Ninth and Walnut streets.
At 420 feet, the Landmark will be the tallest building in Pennsylvania outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, said chief architect Glenn Lichtenwalner of W2A Design Group.
He said it also will return to Allentown the honor of having the Lehigh Valley’s tallest building.
He noted the PPL building, which is 322 feet tall, was the Valley’s tallest building for decades —until the 332-foot-tall Martin Tower was completed in Bethlehem in 1972.
The Landmark will be a multi-purpose building with retail on the first two floors, 24 floors of office space, four floors of condominiums and three floors of penthouses.
The building will have many glass walls to take advantage of views in all directions.
The project was before the Allentown Planning Commission for final approval Tuesday afternoon, but didn’t get it.
Planning commission chairman Oldrich Foucek indicated he kept hearing “we’ll study that” or “we’ll talk about it later” from the developers, yet they were seeking final approval.
For example, when asked if they had discussed the project’s impact with property owners to the north, one of the developer’s representatives said: “We will be reviewing that with those property owners at the appropriate time.”
And when planning commission member Anthony Toth asked whether it will be possible to open any windows in the building, he was told: “That can be studied. We’ve not completed the design yet.”
Foucek appreciated the thoroughness of the presentation, but said the planning commission was not ready to give final approval because open issues remain— including a traffic study, a structural obstruction to drivers’ visibility and how trash will be collected.
The developers then said they were not asking for final approval Tuesday.
At Foucek’s suggestion, the planning commission tabled taking any action on the plan.
The chairman hopes issues are addressed so planning commission members will have few questions the next time the plan comes before them.
The building has been proposed at that location since early 2013 by developer Bruce Loch of Ascot Circle Realty, LLC.
Loch did not appear before planners Monday.
The building has an estimated cost of around $60 million.
It probably will take a year and a half to complete, said Lichtenwalner. The developers would like to begin construction in July.
“The site obviously is very small — it’s only 5,200 square feet,” acknowledged Andy Woods of Art Swallow Associates, the project’s civil engineer.
What’s unusual about the design is the building’s four lowest levels are narrower than the upper levels above them.
Those upper levels will be cantilevered out over both Ninth and Walnut streets, said city planning director Michael Hefele.
The building will extend three feet over Ninth Street and five feet over Walnut Street.
“Tall, skinny building”
Planning commission member Richard Button admitted he’s not an engineer, but told the developers some people in town are “nervous” about what looks like “a tall, skinny building.”
“Tell me about how solid this is going to be,” said Button. “People think you can’t do it.”
Responding, Lichtenwalner said: “There are many buildings in New York City that have the same size footprint, or smaller, but are much taller.
“This is becoming the norm in many cities.”
“But it’s the norm where the cost of land is a thousand times more than what you have here,” countered Foucek.
The chairman acknowledged the planning commission has no authority to comment on design or appearance.
And Foucek noted the science of construction has advanced since PPL was built “and that’s still standing.”
Lichtenwalner later predicted that, in time, the Landmark building will be joined by other taller buildings in Allentown.
Not much smaller “footprint” than PPL
He and Woods made a case that the “footprint” of their proposed building is not much smaller than PPL’s tower, although the PPL building is more rectangular.
Lichtenwalner said the tower of the PPL building, which begins at that building’s third floor, is only 76 feet wide along Hamilton Street, adding: “Our building is 79 feet.”
At street level, the proposed Landmark building will be 84.5-by-60 feet, said Woods.
Lichtenwalner said the upper levels of the proposed Landmark building will be 78-by-89 feet.
They said the dimensions of the PPL tower — above the base of the building — are 76-by-120 feet.
Parking
People living, working and shopping in The Landmark will use a parking garage, owned by Allentown Parking Authority, that is along Walnut Street next to the building site.
The developers told the planning commission they have developed a 20-year-lease with the parking authority so 250 spaces in that garage strictly will be available for the proposed building.
The parking garage will be connected to the building via a third floor entrance.
They said that garage has about 500 spaces.
Lichtenwalner said W2A has determined two and a half more levels could be added to enlarge that parking garage, adding that expansion could be done as part of the Landmark building project.
He said no more than 20 residential units will be in the proposed building, adding only15 parking spaces are required for 20 units.
The developers had to get an aerial easement with the parking authority because the upper floors on the west side of the building will extend 15 feet over the parking garage.
Woods said the north side of the building will not extend over adjoining properties.
The proposed building’s main entrance will be at 90 S. Ninth St.
A layby, an area large enough for three to five vehicles to pull off Ninth Street to drop off and pick up people, is proposed in front of the main entrance.
When asked what accommodations are being made for deliveries to the building, as well as trash collection, Woods replied: “That’s something we’re working on right now.”
They are considering designating a parking space for deliveries, but acknowledged that would not be large enough to accommodate a trash truck.
They said they can make accommodations inside the building for a trash dumpster to be pulled out for emptying.
Traffic
A study has not yet been done to determine the building’s impact on traffic.
Woods said traffic signals at Ninth and Walnut probably will be updated, including with pedestrian crossing signals.
While both streets now have one-way traffic — south on Ninth, east on Walnut — planning commission member Jeff Glazier said in the future both Walnut and Ninth could become two-way streets.
Because the building will stand just off the sidewalks, another issue is that vehicles driving on one street will have limited visibility of those driving on the other.
Lichtenwalner said they may need to request a site distance variance from the Allentown zoning hearing board.
If they can’t get a variance, they will have to take another look at the design of the building.
Floor space
The interior of the building will have four elevator shafts and two stairwells that will take up about 1,000 square feet of space.
Each of the larger upper floors will have 6,000 square feet of useable space, while each of the lower floors will have 4,000 square feet.
Lichtenwalner said three “prominent corporations” already are negotiating to lease office space in the building.
Hefele said city fire officials have reviewed the plan for the building and had no comments.
Loch has not yet sought low-interest construction financing from the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority.
One resident speaks
The only resident to address the planning commission about the proposed project was David Goodman.
He explained he was there on behalf of Jane Goodman, his elderly mother, who owns several nearby buildings on Ninth Street.
Goodman indicated he attended the meeting to better understand the project. “As a neighbor, we are concerned and interested.”
He said he did not go to the meeting to comment negatively or positively, but did express concern about the construction of the building, with equipment and cranes, because of the size of the site.
Goodman said he appreciated questions put to developers by the planning commission and hopes it will continue to be scrutinized “so it works properly within the neighborhood.”
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Assuming everything we find in a grocery store is safe to eat can be a big mistake.
One in six Americans gets sick each year from a food borne illness. And about 3,000 people die each year from one.
Here are a few foods we should stay away from.
Some of these foods can make you sick; do you know which one’s put you most at risk?
First, bagged salad usually says washed, but it can be risky because of bacteria and contamination. Don’t rewash bagged salad because it can lead to cross-contamination of bacteria.
Next, eating too much rice could possibly lead to cancer.
Rice contains a high amount of arsenic which is a carcinogen. Brown rice has even more arsenic.
Also, farmed salmon could be contaminated and shouldn’t be eaten more than once a month.
It has up to 10 times higher levels of PCB’s and chemicals than wild salmon.
Raw bean sprouts often times are contaminated with salmonella and E. coli. The safest way to eat them is to boil or stir-fry them.
The leading causes for food borne deaths, hospitalizations and illnesses are salmonella, toxoplasma, listeria and norovirus. But by following some of these tips you could eliminate some of the risks.
Also avoid meat glue.
Any place that serves meat that looks exactly the same most likely contains meat glue. It increases the risk of food poisoning, so if consuming it, make sure to decrease the risk by eating it well done.
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A criminal defense attorney is weighing in on a controversial double shooting on the streets of Reading.
It happened around 1:30 Monday morning in the 1200 block of North 11th Street in Reading.
Police tell us a man claimed two thieves were breaking into his car.
So, he shot them both from his second story window.
One person was shot in the chest, the other in the ankle.
"If I were the gentleman who fired the shot, attempting to protect his vehicle, I would have some concerns," said James Polyak, a criminal defense attorney.
Criminal defense attorney James Polyak says he would be worried if he were the shooter because he does not believe the man's actions are protected under Pennsylvania law.
The so-called "castle doctrine," generally speaking, gives people who are facing force the legal justification to respond with force themselves.
But because of the circumstances in this case, Polyak believes the shooter was not justified.
"Certainly he was in no risk of danger himself and the law, as it relates to the use of force in Pennsylvania, does not permit you to use deadly force in order to protect your vehicle, unless you are in fact inside the vehicle," said Polyak.
The shooter is cooperating with police.
Both of the suspected thieves who were shot do not have life threatening injuries.
The District Attorney is still reviewing the case. He has not yet filed charges against the shooter or the suspected thieves.
Polyak says if you are faced with a similar situation do not shoot, call police.
An Allentown-based pharmaceutical manufacturer is expanding thanks to a low-interest loan from the state government.
The more than 2-million dollar loan will allow Lehigh Valley Technologies to grow operations by buying a second building at 700 North Fenwick Street.
Officials say the expansion will create 52 full-time jobs within the next three years in addition to the 36 full-time workers currently employed there.
Several years and $86 million later, Bucks County now has a new Justice Center.
Gerald Anderson is the Director of Operations for Bucks County and said the building on North Main Street in Doylestown was much needed.
He said, "There were studies done that said that the court system and the county had been growing and they needed more space so between the issues of space requirement growth and saftey."
A ribbon cutting held Sunday brought a lot of people out to take a look at the new building.
Anderson said spectators were impressed by the state of the art building with a touch of the past, showcased by Mercer tile.
He said the new building will be a safer place for everyone.
In the other building, prisoners would get into the same elevators with court workers and average citizens, but now, "The judges have one means of entering the courtroom and the prisoners another one and the public in the front."
The six stories and two basement levels are handicapped accessible.
He said, "This building is 100 percent handicapped accessible and, all courtrooms are ADA compliant, along with all bathrooms and the whole building."
Now that plans for the building are falling into place moves are being made.
"Our plan is to start rehabbing the building across the street when the courts leave so we can close buildings that surround this area, close this down, shrink the footprint," said Anderson.
He said that will ultimately save the county money.
