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Key Pennsylvania region sees ‘waitlist’ for Trump signs; lawmaker says voters ready to reverse Dem policies

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Key Pennsylvania region sees ‘waitlist’ for Trump signs; lawmaker says voters ready to reverse Dem policies

On a clear day, a hiker standing atop Bake Oven Knob, a high point along the Appalachian Trail in Lehigh Furnace, Pa., can see most of state Sen. Jarrett Coleman’s district.

Below the crest of Blue Mountain lies a patchwork of woods and farmsteads in the historically Pennsylvania Dutch communities. On the horizon lies the growing, diverse footprint of Allentown, Pennsylvania’s third-largest city.

Beyond Allentown lies mixed suburbs like Emmaus and Coopersburg, before again giving way to rural communities like Hosensack and Old Zionsville, the latter being the hometown of former three-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

As Pennsylvania’s friendlier economic climate draws transplants from New York and New Jersey, its farmland has been gradually replaced by residential subdivisions and corporate warehousing.

INSIDE DEMOCRATS’ GROUND GAME IN PENNSYLVANIA’S ‘SWING’ LEHIGH VALLEY AREA

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Bake Oven Knob, a high point on Blue Mountain in Germansville, Pa., overlooks Lehigh County. (Charles Creitz)

All of those factors combine to create what Allentown Democratic Mayor Matt Tuerk called the “swingiest” area of the perennial bellwether state.

Coleman, a Republican and an airline pilot who entered the political scene as an outspoken conservative member of the Parkland School Board during the height of national controversies, said Republicans are poised to do well in the Lehigh Valley this year.

“We are seeing some of the highest levels of excitement and motivation from folks in the Lehigh Valley. I am hopeful for turnout to exceed 2020 levels,” Coleman said. The GOP underperformed that year in both Lehigh and Northampton counties.

“Although Lehigh County contains a ‘blue’ urban core, life for everyone, regardless of political party, has gotten harder under the current administration. This is prompting even some who have traditionally voted Democrat to cast ballots for GOP candidates.

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“The economy, border and community safety remain top concerns for those in the Lehigh Valley.”

Democrats are also aiming to retake the Pennsylvania state Senate, and state Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, the state party chairman, said in a recent interview the landmark achievement is within reach.

But, in terms of Harrisburg and Washington, Coleman said, “kitchen table issues” are front of mind in his district, which also includes a slice of the Philadelphia “swing” suburb of Bucks County, and will help the GOP at both levels.

“It’s very clear that the majority of Pennsylvanians — and especially those in the Lehigh Valley — are far worse off than they were four years ago. The GOP has a platform with specific steps to take to improve the lives of those in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania and across the nation.”

Democratic “demonizing” of Trump has not helped his constituents’ pocketbook or public safety via the open border, he added.

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Off the side of Bake Oven Knob, adjoining the county lake now named for him, lies the property of Revolution-era farmer Frederick Leaser.

POPULAR PA DEMOCRATIC MAYOR WARNS TRUMP IS ‘OUT-MESSAGING’ HARRIS: I GET MORE FROM STEPHEN COLBERT

As the British approached Philadelphia in 1777, Leaser loaded the Liberty Bell onto his wagon during one of his trips to take produce to market and hauled it home to Lehigh County, preventing the Redcoats from melting it down for ammunition.

Such patriotic, community sentiment remains in that part of the valley, with American flags flying in yards during holidays and local churches and fire halls hosting community dinners, from the Jacksonville oyster supper to the German Groundhog Day spread at the local Grundsau Lodsch.

A few blocks west of the church where Leaser ultimately hid the bell is the headquarters of the Lehigh County Republican Committee.

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Chairman Joe Vichot said the party’s presence is ubiquitous at many local events, including the Schnecksville Fair and Allentown Puerto Rican Day Parade.

Schlicher’s Covered Bridge, built in 1882, carries Game Preserve Road across Jordan Creek in Schnecksville, Pa. Donald Trump rallied in the town in 2024. (Fox News Digital/Charles Creitz)

Trump rallied at Schnecksville’s fairgrounds earlier this year, claiming how crucial the area is this cycle.

“We have literature on candidates, and we listen and speak to residents about the issues,” Vichot said, adding his party’s float won third place in the aforementioned parade and that more than a dozen attendees were registered to vote in only a few hours. 

The party also registers voters and has made connections with civic leaders in the Jewish, Syrian and Muslim communities, he said.

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“The top two issues we hear are the border and the economy,” Vichot said.

“[Voters] want a new direction. They don’t believe the open border policies of Biden/Harris is good for their wallet or safe for their family.”

In neighboring Northampton County, home to Bethlehem, Easton and smaller cities like Nazareth and Wind Gap, conservatives are similarly pounding the pavement to get their messages out.

“Our local party is very involved. We are able to communicate with our voters. We are able to text them, call them, and they are receptive to our requests to … help out in going door to door and making phone calls for us,” Northampton County Republican Committee board member Andrew Azan III said.

Recent construction on Eighth Street in Allentown exposed an old-style campaign sign for the city’s last Republican mayor, Bill Heydt, who served from 1994-2002. (Charles Creitz)

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Azan told Fox News Digital there’s a “waitlist” for Trump-Vance signs in his county, which the Republican nominee flipped red in 2016 but lost in 2020.

“That’s a positive sign,” he quipped.

With Bethlehem and Easton’s population of retired steelworkers giving way to new Hispanic and African American residents, the party has adjusted its messaging, but not its principles, to meet the changing diversity of the Lehigh Valley where it stands, Azan added.

In that regard, according to Lehigh Valley Tea Party board member Tom Carroll, locals are more receptive to the conservative platform, and the right wing is “more unified than I’ve ever seen.”

“They are more concerned than ever about losing their country because of the Marxist and socialist policies that are coming out of both Biden and, of course, now Kamala Harris,” said Carroll, whose Tea Party group is the nation’s largest, with 7,000 recorded members.

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“She’s going to open the borders, and she’s going to enact the tax policies that she’s talked about, things like [levying] unrealized capital gains. Our voters are educated, and they’re concerned because they know what that will do to the economy.”

The Moravian Star shines on South Mountain above the Philip J. Fahy Memorial Bridge in Bethlehem, Pa. (Fox News Digital/Charles Creitz)

Carroll, an attorney who also helps lead the Bethlehem City GOP, said he’s been involved in politics since the 2010 midterms and recognized Republicans typically lagged behind Democrats in that realm most cycles.

“But there has been such a reach-out to the voters … in Pennsylvania in that there’s a lot of grassroots knocking on doors and meeting people and having a lot of events and surrogates from the various campaigns coming in.

“We believe in President Trump. We want him to get elected. And we realize Pennsylvania is the most important state in the nation.”

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Fox News Digital’s Matteo Cina contributed to this report.

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New York

9-Year-Old Hit and Killed by School Bus in Brooklyn

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9-Year-Old Hit and Killed by School Bus in Brooklyn

A 9-year-old boy died Friday morning after a school bus hit him while he was crossing the street in Brooklyn, the police said.

The child, who has not been identified pending notification of his family, was struck around 8:18 a.m. at the intersection of Lee Avenue and Lorimer Street in the Williamsburg neighborhood as the bus driver turned left, the police said.

The boy was “unconscious, unresponsive” and had injuries to his head and body when the police arrived, officials said. Paramedics responded and transported him to Woodhull Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The police said the bus driver left the scene but returned; it was not immediately clear why.

In February, another child was killed by a school bus while crossing a street in Brooklyn, in the Bath Beach neighborhood. Amira Aminova, 11, had been waiting at the edge of an intersection when the pedestrian signal turned from a walk sign to a flashing red hand with a countdown timer, according to surveillance video. She started running across the crosswalk.

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The bus driver appeared to have a green light, and began to make a right turn. Amira was halfway through the intersection by then, but the driver failed to yield and struck her.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent his condolences to the child’s family in a post on X on Friday, saying that he was “devastated” by the incident.

“Children should be safe walking around our city,” Mr. Mamdani wrote. “This horrific road death is a painful reminder that we must continue to use every tool available to make our streets safe for all New Yorkers.”

Lincoln Restler, a City Council member, said he was “heartbroken” about the accident that occurred in his district.

“This is one of the busiest intersections in Williamsburg, and I have requested that city agencies immediately make safety improvements,” Mr. Restler said in a statement.

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Mr. Restler said he had asked the city’s Department of Transportation to expedite painting new markings at the intersection, which he said was recently under construction and lacked crosswalks and street markings. He also asked the department to analyze crosswalk signal timing for pedestrians and to make the signals longer to give people more time to walk.

“I have also asked the N.Y.P.D. to station a crossing guard here to help children cross safely,” Mr. Restler said.

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Boston, MA

Jazzy Francik tosses no-hitter as FSU softball run-rules Boston College

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Jazzy Francik tosses no-hitter as FSU softball run-rules Boston College


play

  • Florida State sophomore Jazzy Francik pitched her third career no-hitter against Boston College.
  • The Seminoles defeated the Eagles 10-0 in six innings due to the run-rule.
  • The victory moves Florida State one win away from clinching the ACC regular-season title.

Jazzy Francik returned to the site of one of the toughest outings of her career and delivered a dominant performance.

The Florida State sophomore tossed her third career no-hitter and powered the Seminoles to a 10-0 win over Boston College in six innings Saturday at Harrington Athletics Village, moving FSU within one win of clinching the ACC regular-season title.

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Francik (19-2) was in control from the first pitch, striking out six and allowing only one baserunner on an infield error in the fifth inning. She needed just 67 pitches to complete the no-hitter, the third of her career and one of the most efficient outings of her season.

Florida State’s offense gave its ace plenty of support, collecting 12 hits and scoring 10 runs. After a scoreless first inning, the Seminoles broke through in the second with three runs on RBI doubles by freshmen Haley Griggs and Makenna Sturgis.

FSU added four more runs in the fourth inning behind a two-run double from Jaysoni Beachum and an RBI single by Ashtyn Danley. The Seminoles put the run-rule into play in the sixth, scoring three times on an RBI single from Sturgis, an RBI double by Isa Torres and a sacrifice fly from Danley.

Beachum, Torres, Sturgis and Danley each drove in two runs as Florida State continued to pressure Boston College despite several highlight-reel defensive plays from the Eagles.

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Francik and the Seminole defense sealed the no-hitter in the bottom of the sixth to end the game early.

Florida State is one win away from securing at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship. A sweep of Boston College on Sunday would clinch the title outright.

How to watch FSU vs. Boston College Game 2

  • Date: Saturday, May 2
  • Time: 4 p.m.
  • Where: Harrington Athletics Village, Brighton, Massachusetts
  • TV/Stream: ACC extra

Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics and Big Bend Preps for the Tallahassee Democrat. If you like to pitch a story on a high school athlete, don’t hesitate to get in touch with him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.



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Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburgh residents raise concerns over site of proposed reentry center

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Pittsburgh residents raise concerns over site of proposed reentry center


Outrage is building in a quiet Pittsburgh neighborhood.

Residents say they were blindsided by a plan to convert the former Fraternal Order of Police lodge on Banksville Road into a reentry center. The building could be turned into housing for up to 100 federal inmates, officials said.

Dismas Charities, an organization that operates federal halfway houses across the country, is behind the proposal. But neighbors say this isn’t the place.

“What will these people be doing when they’re not in the halfway house? Will they be law-abiding citizens and respect our community and its members?” questioned Judi Perry, a Shady Crest resident.

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Concerns range from safety to proximity. Some fear the risk of repeat offenses, even though the facility is designed for rehabilitation. Residents point to past incidents tied to similar programs, including a case in Kentucky where an inmate left a facility and killed a police officer.

“We need to be better educated about how this facility would operate, what the parameters are for the people who stay there, and maybe, if we had more information, it would comfort us,” Perry said.

Inside a recent Pittsburgh Planning Commission presentation, Dismas Charities pitched the facility as a second-chance model.

“Over the past five years, we’ve had almost 40,000 residents participate in our programs nationally, and the rate of recidivism is .08 percent,” a Dismas Charities representative said at the meeting.

But that message isn’t landing here. Petitions are already circulating with hundreds of signatures collected. Neighbors say this fight is just beginning.

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“We have preconceived notions about these people who were convicted and committed a crime. We don’t know what their crime was, and so maybe our concerns are exaggerated. But in general, you don’t like the idea of that facility being so close to our community,” Perry said.

A decision could come soon, as the commission is set to take this up in the coming days. If approved, it would still need additional sign-off before any inmates move in.



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