8+ mon, 3+ day ago (460+ words) Three former patients have sued an Upper Bucks-based counseling practice and a Lehigh County man who worked there, alleging they were secretly recorded while using the bathroom. Three former patients have sued an Upper Bucks-based counseling practice and a Lehigh County man who worked there, alleging they were secretly recorded while using the bathroom. Chester County-based law firm Sauder Schelkopf filed a class-action lawsuit Monday in Bucks County Common Pleas Court, alleging Empower Life Coach and Counseling failed to prevent or detect the behavior of Jonathan Moyer, who is accused of secretly recording patients in a bathroom at his office in Quakertown. The practice also had an office in Bally, Berks County. The Bucks County District Attorney's Office filed charges against Moyer, 54, of Alburtis, earlier this month. County detectives allege he had a hidden camera set up in the bathroom....

3+ mon, 1+ day ago (869+ words) The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General was the victim of a ransomware attack earlier this month, Spotlight PA has learned. The attack, first reported by the office as a "cyber incident," has impaired many functions of the agency, as some staff and prosecutors remain unable to access archived emails, files, and internal systems crucial to pursuing cases on behalf of the commonwealth. The office confirmed the attack to Spotlight PA on Friday. "The interruption was caused by an outsider encrypting files in an effort to force the office to make a payment to restore operations," according to a statement shared by the office. "No payment has been made. An active investigation is ongoing with other agencies, which limits our ability to comment further on the investigation or response to the incident." The Office of the Attorney General is the state's…...

10+ mon, 1+ week ago (191+ words) Record Alert is a free service for any resident in the county or anyone who has property located in the county. The Clerk of Judicial Records in Lehigh County has started a new program, Record Alert, to protect residents from identity theft. Record Alert is a free service for any resident in the county or anyone who has property located in the county. To register for the service, go to lehighcounty.org/Services/Deeds/Record Alert. The service allows for residents to receive alerts via text or email when a document is recorded involving their property. The alert details the parcel number of the property, instrument number, document type and date recorded. The county is offering this service to put residents at ease and allow for them to ensure that no fraudulent documents are being filed, taking out a mortgage…...

8+ mon, 4+ week ago (378+ words) A confirmed case of measles in an unvaccinated child is under investigation by Montgomery County health officials. The county released a list of possible exposure sites, including an airport shuttle bus and medical offices in Plymouth Meeting and King of Prussia. Investigators from the Montgomery County Office of Public Health are completing contact tracing to notify others of their potential exposure to measles. "Measles virus can remain in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area. If someone breathes in the contaminated air or touches an infected surface and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth, they can become infected," according to a county news release Sunday. The child with a confirmed case of measles visited the following locations during their infectious period: Feb. 25-26: China Airlines Airport Shuttle Bus: Departing JFK…...

4+ mon, 14+ hour ago (483+ words) Responding to a Right-to-Know Law request from a government watchdog group, Catasauqua accidentally released unredacted W-2 tax forms of 70 employees and former employees, exposing their Social Security numbers and other personal data, a borough official confirmed. Borough Manager Glenn Eckhart said the incident happened last month when the group, Open the Books, asked for employee salaries and the amount of money in the general fund and other accounts for 2024, all of which is public record. Eckhart said employees determined the fastest way to provide the salary information was by providing redacted W-2 forms disclosing only salaries, but he acknowledged it should have been compiled a different way. Pennsylvania courts ruled more than a decade ago that employee tax forms, confidential under federal law, can't be released even if redacted. In this case, the forms weren't redacted before they were emailed to the…...

11+ mon, 1+ week ago (453+ words) A Northampton County home improvement contractor is facing numerous charges, and authorities are asking potential victims of this and other scams to come forward. A Northampton County home improvement contractor is facing numerous charges, and authorities are asking the public for additional information. Edward J. Mara Sr., 67, of Plainfield Township, has been charged with multiple counts of home improvement fraud. District Attorney Stephen G. Baratta said Friday in a news release that Mara has advertised that he performs various services, including landscaping, concrete work and pool installation and repairs. At least two active court dockets that are still active show Mara faces charges alleging theft by deception, deceptive business practices and making false statements to induce agreements for home improvements, all felonies. Mara has been held in Northampton County Prison awaiting court action, records show. His attorney, Philip D. Lauer, did not return…...

8+ mon, 3+ week ago (38+ words) Lehigh County Courthouse staffer Adam Young sits with his face shield on as a juror would during a video shoot at the courthouse in Allentown during the summer of 2020. The courthouse staff was ... More in Local News...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (408+ words) The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has scheduled four in-person hearings and two telephone hearings in December to gather public input on PPL Electric Utilities Corporation's proposed 7% residential rate increase. In September, the Allentown-based utility requested an annual base rate increase of $356.3 million per year that would increase total annual revenue by 8.6%. PPL serves about 1.5 million customers in 29 counties, including Berks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery and Schuylkill. The PUC voted 5-0 in October to investigate the proposed rate increase, which could raise a total residential monthly bill by about 7%. A residential customer using 918 kWh per month would see an increase to $189.40 from $177.01. The company said commercial customers could see an increase of about 3.1%, and industrial customers could see an increase of about 2.6%. A final PUC decision on PPL's request is due by July 1. The following is the schedule for the in-person hearings: " Dec....

3+ mon, 1+ week ago (179+ words) The Allentown School District is taking steps to remove mold after elevated levels of spores were detected in several district classrooms. The school year starts for Allentown students Monday, and as part of back-to-school preparations, the district checks all rooms and surfaces for mold growth, according to a district news release Friday. The release said that on Thursday, during a routine air quality inspection, mold spores were discovered at levels that exceeded those outdoors in four classrooms at Sheridan Elementary School, Ritter Elementary School and in a modular classroom at Muhlenberg Elementary School. In response, the district's facilities team has performed deep cleaning and begun remediation efforts, including installing HEPA filters and air purifiers in the impacted rooms. The district has also had Element Environmental Solutions, its abatement company, perform air quality testing and a professional cleaning company was contracted....

8+ mon, 2+ week ago (549+ words) A counselor from Alburtis with offices in Bucks and Berks counties is accused of secretly recording women in his Quakertown office, according to authorities. The Bucks County District Attorney's Office said in a news release Friday that Jonathan Elliot Moyer set up a hidden camera in the bathroom of his office that secretly recorded four women. Moyer is charged with intercepting communications and possessing a device for intercepting communications, which are felonies, as well as misdemeanors of invasion of privacy. As of Monday he remained in Bucks County Prison on $150,000 bail. The DA's office said county detectives began investigating when someone found a micro SD card that had a recording of Moyer setting up what looked like a hidden camera in the bathroom at the Quakertown office, at 523 W. Broad. St. Moyer was a counselor at Empower Life Coach and Counseling,…...