 | Rebecca and Uri Minkoff reveal hottest fashion trends in 2015 on "Real Biz with Rebecca Jarvis." | From: ABC News Views: 11   3 ratings |
| Time: 04:46 | More in News & Politics |
Many of us have goals for the new year, and most of us have smartphones and/or tablets, so why not use them to help with those goals?
It's easier than ever before, thanks to some popular apps.
In fact, AT&T has a list of mobile apps that will help you make and keep your resolutions.
Brandy Bell-Truskey from AT&T joined WFMZ's Eve Tannery on 69 News at Sunrise to tell us more.
An 18-year-old Schuylkill County woman who was charged with throwing her two-month baby against a wall has admitted to the crime.
Officials say Larisa Zimmerman, of Pottsville, pleaded guilty in Schuylkill County Court Wednesday.
She was sentenced to three to nine years in jail.
Police say Zimmerman admitted that she threw her baby against a wall because she became frustrated when he would not eat.
Her baby boy suffered a skull fracture and bruises. He was unconscious when police arrived and hospitalized in critical condition.
Zimmerman was arrested on August 26th.
The industrial museum in the works in Northampton County needs additional accountability safeguards going forward, according to the state attorney general.
Kathleen Kane released the results Thursday of her office's review of the planned National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH) in Bethlehem.
Kane said her office has filed a decree for court approval to provide increased accountability and more safeguards after the museum raised funds for more than 17 years but still has not opened to the public.
In January 2014, a Northampton County grand jury that investigated the museum recommended Stephen Donches should resign as president, CEO and director of the museum or be fired.
After more than 17 years and up to $19 million in contributions, the museum has not been built.
The museum review began after the case was referred by the grand jury, and fell under the scrutiny of the Office of Attorney General's Charitable Trusts and Organizations Section.
The attorney general found "no criminal wrongdoing, or misappropriation or inappropriate diversion of the museum's charitable assets."
In addition, the review found the museum's directors acted in what they believe to be "the best interest of the organization and have personally contributed the bulk of NMIH's funding."
The attorney general's office determined that the museum is in a viable financial position to complete the museum in the near future.
The NMIH's board member have agreed to the following stipulations in order to keep the museum's continued viability:
* Cease the payment of any further compensation to the museum's former chief executive officer;
* Retain a new chief executive officer within the next year who is experienced and qualified in museum management;
* Open to the public as an operating museum within the next two years;
* Subject the museum's finances to heightened and ongoing oversight by the Attorney General through the completion of its construction and first two years of operation; and
* Seek the Court's approval to partner with outside charitable organizations or transfer its assets to an appropriate successor and dissolve, if the museum fails to open in the next two years.
According to a statement from NMIH chairman and interim president, Charles Marcon, "As we have maintained throughout this extended process, NMIH has demonstrated its compliance with Pennsylvania law governing the operation of charitable non-profit corporations.
"To the board, the most important part of the Consent Decree is the Attorney General’s indication that we can and should continue with our mission of building the Museum. To that end, we have already restarted construction with work on the first floor concrete slab and related underground utilities."
Marcon said bids for construction of the first floor will be received the week of January 26,, and should be completed by the end of September.
Work on installing exhibits will begin after that, with a target date for the museum to open by mid-2016.
Marcon said the search for a new executive director will start immediatley, as outlined in the consent decree.
"We thank Steve Donches for his tireless commitment and dedication to our organization. Steve’s efforts and relationships were solely responsible for securing a $3 million grant to NMIH earlier in 2014, and additional funds prior, that will allow the organization to complete the Museum’s construction," Marcon said.
A local attorney currently service as assistant district attorney plans to run for a vacant judge slot in Northampton County.
Abe Kassis, 47, announced Wednesday his candidacy for a vacancy on the Northampton County Court of Pleas.,
Kassis is a veteran civil litigator, and has been a county assistant DA for more than 15 years.
According to a news release, Kassis has prosecuted more than a thousand criminal cases over the past 20 years, including homicides, burglaries, and drug offenses.
In addition to the criminal prosecutions, Kassis says he has also represented hundreds of clients in civil matters, such as personal injury claims, business, contract and real estate matters and custody and divorce disputes.
He currently serves as president of the Northampton County Bar Association and is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Kassis grew up in the Lehigh Valley. He graduated from Hofstra University and received a law degree from Northern Illinois University College of Law.
The primary election is set for May 19.
moos cnn new york>>> us That was a great game. Hungry hungry hippos et al. i was like of Time now all-time or & But over at the bluetoday's complete Mountain the little activity rights about who we go into any who doubt what is now the Poconos and some of our ski resorts are in the teens locally were in the upper twenties because it was mostly cloudy, and it's basically just overcast were hoping to get some sunshine keep it in the back your mind if it's at three o'clock your look ongoing eight. Where is wouldn't be terribly surprising In the models are sort of split on the idea after watching us from Sussex County, New Jersey parts of the Poconos and then he get up outside the viewing area in New York State there's a lot of sunshine. There but not for most of it. there's Sussex just enjoying the Sunday after day while the rest of us struggle with the clouds and right now in the upper twenties looks like low mid 30s. Today a little bit below normal wind not much of a factory there and precipitation wise. Aside from a few flurries here this morning a sickly. Nothing very quiet as far as that front goes lots going on here in the Gulf dates New Orleans Mississippi Alabama and then you get into northern Mississippi and Alabama and these folks are not used to this event some icing problems here also that extends up into portions of Kentucky and Tennessee as As we zoom in and take a look. There's Nashville about to get into a little bit of mixed precipitation there's Louisville off to the north so in between there is we move on through Kentucky there's a lot of snow and ice problems are this system will pass us well to the south so we don't see anything out of that we had some pretty decent snow shower activity earlier out toward state college in central Pennsylvania. But even there can see that's really diminish ninety 90 see some of this clearing line coming down from the north and the west hopefully this can just continue its march right on down and through the area and we can end up with some sunshine temperatures again will be a little bit below normal as far as the future satellite and radar it's pretty quiet around here we have another front that comes in tomorrow what that will do without any moisture will reinforce yet another shot of colder air so it seems that we try to recover some of these days and then here comes another one of these fronts and it closes back out that's what's happening forecast so Saturday looks Iwith wfmz Meteorologist Matt Broderick. got very chilly day despite a good amount of sunshine then we get into Sunday and that's the mildest day but with that will be a chance of some right future snowfall across the Northeast over the next sixty 69 hours and yet pretty quiet stuff overall event i mean New England runtime anything really for the most part temperature trend again there's your spike on Sunday next week looks around a normal now looks a little bit cooler than it did earlier in the week flurries early clouds break for some son and 33 tonight. 21 under partly cloudy skies the rest of the seven-day forecast. We get into the weekend again 36 Friday Saturday's cold is a chance of rain Sunday at 43 i think mlk day cool things back down again as the wind does pick up there could even be just a few flurries around so we'll keep an eye and a partly
A local health network says it is revolutionizing the way its staff treats patients.
Lehigh Valley Health Network says it is putting a nearly $9M grant to work.
The grant comes from the Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust.
Officials say the money will fund training for physicians, nurses and staff.
LVHN officials say employees will be brought up-to-date on all the latest educational tools, including virtual reality, gaming and patient simulation.
Some of the techniques were demonstrated Wednesday.
"A lot of it is team training and because of the technology, the team training can have members anyplace in the Lehigh Valley and really anywhere for that matter," said Edward Meehan, executive director of the Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust.
According to hospital officials, training can range from a demonstration of the proper way to care for a patient with suspected Ebola, including how to put on and remove protective equipment, to teaching the entire staff at a primary care physician’s practice the correct protocols for treating a patient who suffers a heart attack on site.
The grant -- which is the largest in the trust's 40-year history -- will provide funding for training over the next four years.
 | Chris Pine and Cheryl Boone Isaacs announce the nominations for best picture, actor, actress and more.For more coverage: http://ift.tt/1G1J0Rn. | From: ABC News Views: 139 4 ratings |
| Time: 07:54 | More in News & Politics |
 | J.J. Abrams and Alfonso Cuaron announce the first batch of Academy Award nominees.For more coverage: http://ift.tt/1G1J0Rn. | From: ABC News Views: 26 1 ratings |
| Time: 05:23 | More in News & Politics |
today's guest joins us live. >>> jaciel cordoba: Have you ever considered getting plastic surgery? >> eve tannery: Many folks do and as WFMZs Nancy Werteen tells us.. if you do, theres something important you should keep in mind. >>Nancy: Plastic Surgeons are issuing a nationwide warning: They say if youd like to get some kind of plastic surgery, be careful who you go to for the procedure. (Nats - Greeting her client) :02 >>nancy: as a professional event planner, nafsika lourentzatos (pronounced: noff- SEEK-uh lohr-en-ZAH-tose) is a stickler for details. even for an event that only lasts a few hours, she will spend weeks doing research. but when it came to undergoing a breast augmentation procedure, nafsika admits she was reckless. she was hoping to avoid the pain and expense of surgery, so a friend suggested a doctor who did silicone injections instead. :21 >> Nafsika Lourentzatos Had a botched breast procedure: It didnt seem so bad. And why not try something that wasnt, you know, a high risk of surgery, but something that i was trying to achieve all along? :11 / >>nancy: so, without knowing much about the doctor or the risks, nafsika got the injections. the procedure was quick, but the damage was permanent. :07 / >>Ron Israeli, md American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Silicone gel was all over the breast and all over the chest wall. It looked like multiple pellets throughout the breast itself. :09 >>nancy: nafsikas breasts had to be removed, and doctor ron israeli spent hours performing several reconstructive surgeries. its a situation experts say is becoming more common. :06 / :58 >>Nats - behind the scene at psa shoot) :01 / 1:00 >>nancy: now, nafsika is sharing her story as part of a new campaign from the american society of plastic surgeons. the idea is to let real patients tell real life stories about the importance of doing your homework. :11 / 1:10 >> Dr. Scot Glasberg, md, President American Society of Plastic Surgeons: And what that means is that patients need to ask the appropriate questions when theyre ling up to have their surgery- when theyre even thinking about having their surgery. :07 / >>nancy: those questions include is your doctor board certified in plastic surgery? is their facility safe and accredited? and would they be willing to share patient references? questions nafsika never thought to ask but is making sure others do. :12 / 1:29 >>Nafsika Just know whos putting their hands on you. Its your body and you live once. :05 / -- >>Nancy: To find surgeons who are members of the American Society of Plastic surgeons you can go to
The Cedarbrook nursing homes were at the center of the continuing power struggle between Lehigh County commissioners and county Executive Thomas Muller Wednesday night.
Some commissioners were steaming because Muller refused to withdraw the appointment of a new nursing director for Cedarbrook, which legally became effective before commissioners had a chance to vote on it.
“In my mind, we got slapped in the face,” complained Commissioner Michael Schware.
Commissioners also were not happy that Dan McCarthy, the county’s director of administration, twice walked out of their Wednesday meetings when they discussed a resolution about hiring a management company for the nursing homes later this year.
McCarthy’s boycotts were deliberate — done at the suggestion of Muller, who was not at the meetings.
Commissioner Vic Mazziotti said he was appalled that the director of administration walked away, adding commissioners had been assured that the administration would work with them to review the issue of Cedarbrook’s management.
“It appears they’re not even willing to talk to us about this subject,” said Mazziotti.
The commissioners unanimously approved a resolution asking Muller to issue a request for proposals —RFP—for the future management of Cedarbrook.
That resolution suggests the executive share all responses from interested companies and make a recommendation to commissioners on May 13.
But Muller intends to ignore that resolution, which he is not legally required to follow.
After the meetings, Muller said the normal time to do a request for proposals from companies interested in managing Cedarbrook would be three months from now and added that’s when he plans to do it.
“We do not need the board telling us how to run the operation,” said the executive. “It’s our business to run the business and we’re doing that.”
As for McCarthy walking out of the meeting room when the issue came up, Muller said he’s tired of commissioners verbally beating up members of his staff at meetings.
Muller felt the intent of the commissioners’ resolution was to publicly and unnecessarily give LW Consulting another “black eye.”
“I have just lost all confidence in LW Consulting,” declared Commissioner Percy Dougherty during the meeting.
“We need a good management team. We have to get somebody new in there who is going to turn the facility around and make it the proud facility we have had for many, many years.”
Indicating LW could submit a proposal to the county to continue managing Cedarbrook, Commissioner Geoff Brace expressed concern that negative comments made by commissioners about LW —including the need for a change in management — could compromise the integrity of any request for proposals process.
Schware said there has not been a lot of trust in the administration regarding Cedarbrook, adding: “There seems to be a continued dishonesty or obfuscation of the truth.”
Not combatants on a battlefield
Ironically, all that antagonism occurred on the same night when Brad Osborne, just-elected chairman of the commissioners, started his first meeting of 2015 by reminding his colleagues: “As elected officials, we are servants of the people, not combatants on the battlefield.
“In a battle of wills, it’s the people who suffer. I’m going to ask our board and the administration to engage each other in a positive way. We’re going to need that going forward as we wrestle with difficult topics.”
Osborne also said communication “is a powerful tool, not a sign of weakness. If we talk, we are empowering ourselves to make better solutions.”
McCarthy’s boycott
The first time McCarthy left the meeting room at the start of the Cedarbrook committee’s discussion of the RFP resolution Wednesday, Commissioner Lisa Scheller commented: “Maybe that’s some indication of where that resolution is.”
Mazziotti questioned if there is any action the commissioners could take on their own to initiate the RFP process “if the administration is not even willing to discuss it with us.”
Commissioner David Jones suggested: “Let’s give diplomacy a shot…rather than declaring war at this moment.”
Said Scheller: “You mean diplomacy didn’t just walk out the door?”
“Let’s not assume the he ran away from the issue,” said Jones.
But when the RFP resolution again was raised during the commissioners’ full board meeting later Wednesday night, McCarthy again walked out of the room.
“This is extremely disappointing,” said Mazziotti.
Schware called McCarthy leaving the room “a blow to diplomacy.”
Mazziotti confronted McCarthy when the director of administration later returned to the commissioners’ meeting.
“Maybe it was a coincidence that you walked out of the room twice,” said Mazziotti.
“Maybe it wasn’t.”
He asked if McCarthy was not willing to talk to them about the administration’s position on the RFP resolution they had just passed in a 9-0 vote.
“I have nothing to contribute to the conversation,” said McCarthy.
“So the administration has no response?” asked Mazziotti.
“I have no response,” agreed McCarthy.
Muller suggested boycott
Muller later said he did not order McCarthy to walk out of the meetings during discussions about hiring a management company for Cedarbrook, but suggested he do so.
He said he also told McCarthy: “If you disagree, you can do otherwise.”
Muller said he didn’t see any need for McCarthy to participate in another “big public conversation” about LW because the administration already is well aware of the commissioners’ position regarding continuing with that company.
Most of the commissioners have been publicly critical of LW since October 2013, when the county had to transfer $3.6 million to Cedarbrook to keep it operating through the end of that year.
Despite that, Muller maintained LW has been “a strong partner” with the county for 11 years and stayed within the county's budget for eight of those years.
Last year, the commissioners removed $200,000 that was allocated in the 2015 budget to pay for the management of Cedarbrook.
They did that to ensure they will be involved in any decision about renewing a contract with LW to continue managing Cedarbrook.
The current contract with LW expires June 30. Muller could extend that contract for another year, but said he already promised commissioners he does not intend to do that.
Why an RFP resolution?
Commissioners want proposals from other interested management firms “to ensure the best quality and price options have been evaluated.”
Scheller said “unfortunately” the RFP resolution is only a request to the administration, not a directive it must follow.
“Since we can’t force them, it has to be a collaborative agreement,” said Jones.
Commissioner Amanda Holt, who wrote the resolution, said no RFPs have been sought to hire a company to manage Cedarbrook for at least 29 years.
“So it seemed appropriate that we make a formal request that this be done,” said Holt.
Scheller said getting RFPs on a regular basis is a good practice, even with good business relationships and good management.
Both Holt and Scheller said the quality of service always improves after an RFP process, even if the vendor doesn’t change.
“Many of us have expressed dissatisfaction with the current vendor,” said Mazziotti. “We reduced the budget so that contract could not continue in 2015 beyond July 1.”
Once a management company is hired, the commissioners intend to restore that $200,000 budget allocation to pay it for the rest of this year.
Schware liked the May 13 deadline for the executive to make a recommendation to commissioners, saying: “That gives us enough time to evaluate different contracts and doesn’t run us right up to the [June 30] deadline when the fund runs out.”
He added: “I don’t think anyone wants to see Cedarbrook go without proper management.”
New director of nursing
Cedarbrook’s new nursing director is Lisa Moyer of Weatherly, Carbon County.
Moyer was introduced to commissioners at their Dec. 17 meeting, but was not present Wednesday night.
On Dec. 17, the commissioners’ appointments committee gave Moyer an unanimous positive recommendation to become the new nursing director and she was told the full board would act on her appointment Wednesday.
Her appointment was on the agenda of Wednesday’s commissioners meeting.
But commissioners learned Moyer already started her job as nursing director at Cedarbrook on Wednesday.
Moyer was nominated on Dec 10, but it was not on the agenda of the commissioners’ meeting for action that night.
Commissioners had 29 days to act on the appointment.
They did not act on it within that time, so Moyer’s appointment began without any vote.
Atty. Eman Jarrah, an assistant county solicitor, told commissioners that is in accordance with the county’s home rule charter.
“Ms. Moyer is currently the director of nursing for Cedarbrook nursing home because all the proper procedures took place,” said the lawyer.
Jarrah added: “Knowing the events as they occurred, Ms. Moyer, in my opinion, was appropriately appointed. I don’t see any other option.”
Commissioner Geoff Brace suggested his colleagues had a responsibility to know how long they had to act on the appointment.
Brace said commissioners could have acted on it at their Jan. 5 reorganizational meeting or scheduled a special meeting to beat the deadline.
“Things can fall through the cracks,” said Holt, “especially over the holidays.”
Questions arose about nominee
Scheller said “questions arose” about Moyer after the Dec. 17 meeting.
No one explained the nature of those questions during the meeting.
Schware said the questions did not originate with commissioners, but came from Cedarbrook employees and residents.
McCarthy said he wasn’t aware commissioners had any concerns about the candidate until Osborne spoke with him last week.
Osborne had asked McCarthy that Moyer’s nomination be withdrawn until those unspecified questions could be addressed, but Muller refused to go along with that request.
Mazziotti said Muller “thumbed his nose” at commissioners by not agreeing to withdraw Moyer’s nomination.
He suggested Muller may have done that because he was not comfortable the appointment would withstand the commissioners’ scrutiny.
“The letter of the law was followed,” said Mazziotti. “But the spirit of cooperation between the administration and the commissioners, which has not always been what we would like it to be, has not been helped by this process.”
Scheller and Mazziotti said when such things happened in the past, the county executive agreed to withdraw his appointment and the process started over.
Schware said the agreement to do that was a precedent that stood for 20 years.
Mazziotti asked McCarthy why the administration “broke that precedent in this case and let this appointment go ahead without our approval?”
McCarthy said it would be proper for the county executive to answer that question, adding: “I did not make the decision.”
Said Mazziotti: “I don’t see him here tonight. Aren’t you his representative?”
Responded McCarthy: “But I am not the executive.”
Fixing the problem
Jones said commissioners could “beat Dan up” and “start the year with a fresh new battle.”
“Rather than fighting about what happened, how do we fix this?” asked Jones.
He continued: “The thing that we want is for the administration to be willing to pull the nomination back so the board can feel its integrity in the process is honored and has a fair opportunity to vet the nominated person.”
McCarthy suggested the board could make a motion or pass a resolution to ask the executive for an explanation.
McCarthy said it’s not always a good idea to have a public airing of personnel issues — and could be illegal. But he added the commissioners might be satisfied if they can get specific questions answered by the executive.
Muller infrequently attends commissioners meetings.
He said commissioners “beat up on” McCarthy, county purchasing director Rick Molchany “or me, in absentia.”
Muller added: “I probably will show up at more meetings this year. I told my guys we’re not going to play a game this year where they just stand there and get beat up by Vic and some of the others.
“It’s time for us to push back.”
Muller interviewed Moyer
Muller said Cedarbrook had been operating without a nursing director since the beginning of November, when Jan Harrison retired.
The executive indicated that Moyer was thoroughly vetted by the administration during the interview process.
Muller said she was interviewed both by himself and by Cedarbrook administrator Terry Hollinger, who is a former nursing director.
Moyer was selected from 18 applicants for the position, including one current Cedarbrook employee.
In December, Moyer told commissioners she is a certified nursing director of long-term care. She said she has 27 years of experience in long-term care, mostly at Weatherwood, the Carbon County nursing home.
She told commissioners she looked forward to the challenge of working at a larger nursing home.
Moyer said she worked at both not-for-profit and for-profit nursing homes and prefers not-for-profit homes, because they benefit the residents the most.
Osborne’s priorities
At the beginning of the commissioners’ meeting Wednesday, Osborne encouraged more county residents to attend the public meetings.
“Through the input of the public, the decisions of our board can be shaped and sometimes be better,” said the new chairman.
Osborne also recommended placing a five-minute time limit on members of the public addressing the board and limiting the number of people who speak about the same issue.
He said there may be times when that five-minute limit is extended.
Other commissioners spoke in support of those suggestions.
Dougherty said some people come to meetings with “pages and pages” of information they want to read.
He recommended they be encouraged to summarize the key points and distribute the written information to commissioners.
Osborne also encouraged commissioners “to concentrate on those projects that have the potential to save taxpayers money, even as we preserve the quality of services.”
He said he wants to “aggressively” continue the board’s record of reducing taxes and spending.
Police are on the scene of a school bus accident Thursday morning in Easton.
Northampton County dispatchers say the accident happened around 7:40 a.m. in the 1400 block of Northampton Street.
Some adults were injured, but it's not clear the extent of the injuries or if there were any students on the bus.
Officials said the bus was a short version sued by Intermediate Unit 20.
Refresh this page for the latest information.
A committed group of Allentown residents is on a mission to make Stevens Park better and safer than it has ever been.
The Allentown Department of Parks and Recreation held a public informational meeting Wednesday evening on future plans to improve Stevens Park, located at 630 N. Sixth St.
Recreation Program Specialist Christy Alvord told those in attendance the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has awarded a $250,000 grant for improvements to the park. The city indicated it will match the grant.
"The funds are there for a $500,000 project," Alvord said.
The engineering firm of Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson has been tasked with reviewing and considering community input and plans and turning sketches into enhancements and improvements to the park.
Between February and March, Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson will gather feedback from the community and in June, bids will go out for the project.
The project should be completed by the end of 2015.
Some general suggestions for improvements to the park to date include the installation of cameras, a half court basketball court, enhanced opportunities for families at the pavilion, additional opportunities for children and more benches.
Norberto Dominquez, Community Action Development Corporation of Allentown Jordan Heights neighborhood manager, said the community should strive to make the park stand out among other parks in the city.
A few community members expressed concern with current issues relating to safety in the park, such as illegal drug use and dealing and on one occasion a couple engaging in sex in a blue tube like piece of playground equipment during the day.
"I think we have to be cognizant of the lighting and those things that will address the safety of the children," interim Executive Director Vicky Kistler said.
According to Alvord, certain layout and aesthetic aspects inherent in the plan will address issues relating to safety.
A redevelopment plan public input meeting is scheduled for Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 417 N. 7th St., where additional information will be discussed and shared concerning plans for the park, the project budget and construction timeline.
The engineering firm of Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson will also be present at the meeting.
City of Allentown Neighborhood Coordinator Phyllis Alexander urged community residents to get involved in the process.
"The culture has to be changed," she said. "We need our residents to participate."
Community Action Development Corporation of Allentown Jordan Heights Liaison Milly Canalas agreed.
"We need to convey that we are going to take over that park," she said.
"I'm hoping this can be a dynamic process," Kistler added.
 | Federal agents have arrested 20-year-old Christopher Lee Cornell, who was allegedly plotting an attack on the U.S. Capitol building. | From: ABC News Views: 1 0 ratings |
| Time: 01:30 | More in News & Politics |
 | In an effort to reprogram the video gaming industry, many outspoken critics have faced horrifying backlash and threats. | From: ABC News Views: 0 0 ratings |
| Time: 08:18 | More in News & Politics |
 | In a jailhouse interview, former "America's Next Top Model" contestant Renee Alway talks about her run-in with police. | From: ABC News Views: 0 0 ratings |
| Time: 05:39 | More in News & Politics |
Police spent Wednesday cracking down on drivers speeding through construction zones.
"There are two cement barriers on both sides. So, it is very narrow and people have been going really fast. It has been a little bit dangerous," said Audrey, a driver.
Audrey is talking about the construction zone on Route 422 between the Stowe and Rt. 100 interchanges.
Within minutes, drivers could be seen doing 10, 20, even 30 miles per hour over the speed limit.
The area has only been under construction for about a month, but it has already been the site of a deadly pedestrian accident when a construction supervisor was killed in early December.
That is why police from both North Coventry Township and West Pottsgrove Township are stepping up enforcement in the area.
"We have seen, during the entire construction process, excessive speeds in the 40 mph speed zones. And that 40 mph speed limit is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, not just when there is active work occurring," said Chief Robert Schurr with the North Coventry Township Police Department.
So throughout the day police conducted a speed detail. They did it to raise awareness for the lowered speed limit and to promote safety.
"It is put in place for a reason, for the safety of not only the motorists that are traveling 422, but it is in place to protect the construction workers that are actively working the construction zones," said Schurr.
Many of the drivers we spoke with think it is a good idea that police are stepping up enforcement in the construction areas.
"Whatever is going to keep everyone safe I think is great. The less accidents the better," said Katrina Harman, a driver.
"It is a good idea to go slower. I think it will reduce accidents because I do not like that section. I do not feel comfortable driving at night," said Audrey.
While others disagree.
"I think when it comes down to it, you are going to get a temporary fix," said Harry Roberts, a driver.
During the enforcement, police issued 19 tickets and two warnings.
Police say to be vigilant and remember that all fines double in a work zone.
A three alarm fire broke out in the 700 block of Chestnut Street Wednesday evening around 9:20 p.m.
When firefighters arrived on scene they saw large flames shooting from the front of the home.
The flames even spread to a telephone pole outside of the home, causing it to spark.
No injuries were initially reported.
A neighbor told crews on scene the home was vacant.
Authorities have not confirmed that information.
Check back to www.wfmz.com for more information on thsi developing story.
The Kutztown University basketball teams split a men's/women's double-header with Shippensburg Wednesday night at the Keystone Arena.
Behind a team-high 20 points from Tynell Fortune and another 16 from Josh Johnson, the KU men (8-4, 11-7) built a double-digit halftime lead and never looked back in an 88-75 win over Shippensburg (4-7, 8-7).
The Golden Bears remain one game back of East Stroudsburg in the loss column for first place in the PSAC East.
In the early game, Alyssa Bonenberger and Advia Campbell both scored in double figures for Kutztown, but Shippensburg held them off in the second half for a 59-55 win.
The Raiders (6-5, 10-7) control the 4th spot in the PSAC East standings with Kutztown (5-7, 6-9) dropping to the 6th spot.
