(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania student loan borrowers will receive over $70 million in relief as part of a national settlement with Navient, one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers. Read more

State Sen. Mario Scavello is also seeking a state ban on working with federal contractors that transport illegal immigrants to Pennsylvania. Read more

(The Center Square) – As more Americans move to lower-taxed Republican-led states, a new report by the Tax Foundation indicates that taxation levels play a direct and indirect role as factors contributing to migration patterns. Read more

LOWER MAKEFIELD TWP, Pa. - A Bucks County police department is using a temporary non-emergency dispatch number. Read more

Mourners gathered Monday for funeral services for nine children and three adults who died in a Philadelphia fire five days into the new year, the deadliest blaze in the city in more than a century. Read more

Officials cited that the closure was for the safety of its guests and employees. Read more

The new center is on West Seventh Street, just off Route 29 according to official statements. Read more

An official press release states that this decision was based on a review of forecasts from the National Weather Service. Read more

WFMZ's Ali Reid goes live every half hour to give us the local road conditions as the winter weather continues to rain (or snow) down on us. Stay tuned to see your local roadways. Read more

It will remain windy and cold on the back side of our storm on Monday. Temperatures will likely be steady throughout much of the day in the mid to upper 30s with wind chills down into the 20s. Expect mostly cloudy skies and nothing more than a rain or snow shower in spots through the day. Read more

Updates on travel conditions from across the region Read more

Areas of Monroe, Carbon, and Pike counties could be looking at more snow than the Lehigh Valley. Read more

One superfan in Berks County was especially fired up heading into the Birds' wild-card game Sunday against the defending champion Buccaneers. Read more

In Lehigh County, some cars are getting stuck as they try to make it up Broadway near the Fountain Hill - Salisbury Township border. Read more

The fire broke out just before 3 p.m. in Clinton Township on Haytown Road. Read more

Joel Embiid scored 32 points for the 76ers who lost for only second time in last 11 games. Read more

Russia’s top diplomat has angrily rejected the U.S. allegations that it was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine as Russian troops have remained concentrated near the border. The comments Monday came as Russian troops near the Ukraine border launched more drills. The White House said Friday that U.S. intelligence officials had concluded that Russia had already deployed operatives to rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine to carry out sabotage there and blame them on Ukraine to create a pretext for possible invasion. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday dismissed the U.S. claim as “total disinformation.” He said Russia is waiting for a response from the U.S. and its allies to Moscow’s request for binding guarantees that NATO won't embrace Ukraine. Read more

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting for his career and he has one constant refrain: Wait for Sue Gray. Gray is a senior civil servant who may hold Johnson’s political future in her hands. She is investigating allegations that the prime minister and his staff attended lockdown-flouting parties on government property. Johnson last week made a contrite and carefully-worded apology in Parliament. But he urged everyone to wait for Gray’s verdict. The report is expected by the end of the month. But Alex Thomas of the Institute for Government said those expecting the report “either clear the prime minister or damn him” would likely be disappointed. Read more

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has returned to Ukraine to face court on treason charges he believes are politically motivated. At the Kyiv airport, where he arrived on a flight from Warsaw on Monday morning, Poroshenko was greeted by several thousand supporters. From the airport, Poroshenko headed straight to court, which was to rule on whether to remand him in custody. After several hours of proceedings, the court adjourned until Wednesday afternoon. A prosecutor has alleged that Poroshenko, one of Ukraine’s richest businessmen, was involved in the sale of large amounts of coal that helped finance Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014-15. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.  Read more

Sasha Stefanovic scored 22 points, including a go-ahead 3 at the start of double overtime that sent No. 4 Purdue over No. 17 Illinois 96-88. The Boilermakers improved to 15-2. Purdue hit four straight shots to take an 89-83 lead with 1:03 left in double overtime, including two baskets by Eric Hunter Jr. Alfonso Plummer scored 24 points for Illinois, which is 13-4. Andre Curbelo, who had missed 11 games after being injured, had 20 points, six rebounds and three assists. Read more

Willie O’Ree broke the NHL's color barrier on Jan. 18, 1958. Sixty-four years later, the Boston Bruins will retire his No. 22 jersey. He'll be the 12th player in team history to have that honor. O’Ree had planned on being at the Bruins' game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday to watch the jersey get lifted into the rafters, but persisting concerns about the pandemic changed those plans. He will now participate virtually from his home in San Diego. Since 1998, O'Ree has been an NHL diversity ambassador, working to foster more inclusion and combat the racism that still exists in league. Read more

Crews are making railroad repair in Los Angeles after a train derailed near the location where thieves have been raiding cargo containers, leaving the tracks littered with empted boxes of packaged goods sent by retailers. It isn't known if Saturday’s derailment was caused by the debris left behind by thieves in the Lincoln Heights area near downtown Los Angeles. Union Pacific says the cause of the derailment is under investigation. The company says 17 train cars came off the tracks, but no injuries wer reported. Cargo containers aboard trains have been targeted by thieves for months. The stolen packages are from retailers including Amazon, REI and others.  Read more

The rabbi of a Texas synagogue where a gunman took hostages during livestreamed services says he threw a chair at his captor before escaping with two others after an hourslong standoff. Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker told “CBS Mornings” on Monday that he let the gunman inside the suburban Fort Worth synagogue Saturday because he appeared to need shelter. He says the man was not threatening or suspicious at first. Later, he heard a gun click as he was praying. Authorities identified the hostage-taker as 44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram, who was killed Saturday night after the last hostages ran out of Congregation Beth Israel around 9 p.m. The FBI on Sunday night issued a statement calling the ordeal “a terrorism-related matter, in which the Jewish community was targeted.” Read more

Eurogroup finance chiefs are engaged in a high-wire political balancing act prompted by conflicting economic forces: a weaker growth outlook and stronger inflation. Finance ministers from the 19 nations that use the shared euro currency are pledging continued budgetary stimulus for the economy amid headwinds caused by the omicron variant. At the same time, they are seeking to reassure voters by pledging vigilance over sharp price rises. The 19-nation euro zone faces a slowdown in economic growth this year after a solid recovery in 2021 from a severe coronavirus-induced recession two years ago.    Read more

Funeral services were held Monday for nine children and three adults who died in a Philadelphia fire five days into the new year, the deadliest blaze in the city in more than a century. A funeral procession on the rain-soaked streets of the city Monday morning was followed by services at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. The victims were all on the third floor of a duplex north of the city center near the Philadelphia Museum of Art that caught fire Jan. 5.  Read more

K-way, the Franco-Italian brand synonymous with windbreaker, is stepping into luxury fashion with its first live runway show ever on the closing day of Milan Fashion Week. The Milan-based brand has been edging into the space with collaborations for such fashion houses as Fendi and YSL, DSquard2 and Comme des Garcons. But it is also seeking its own profile in the streetwear/sportswear scene under designer Monica Gamerboni.   Dubbed R&D, for research and development, the collection is strong on both styling and technical experimentation. It's a departure from the brand’s heritage as the maker of high-quality windbreakers and jackets, founded in Paris 57 years ago but long in Italian hands.  Read more

An Israeli hospital says preliminary research indicates a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine provides only limited defense against the omicron variant that's raging around the world. Sheba Hospital says the additional dose has boosted people's levels of antibodies, but not prevented them from being infected with the latest variant. Dr. Gili Regev-Yochay, director of the hospital's infectious disease unit, said on Monday that the vaccines “offer less protection versus omicron.” Israel is battling a wave of omicron that has sent infections to record levels. The government says it's shortening quarantine requirements from seven to five days in order to help keep the economy running. Read more

Sudanese activists say security forces have killed at least seven people and wounded around 100 others during anti-coup protests in the capital, Khartoum. Thousands took to the streets in Khartoum and elsewhere on Monday to denounce the October military coup. The military takeover has scuttled hopes of a peaceful transition to democracy in Sudan, more than two years after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The turmoil in the country has been amplified after Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok stepped down earlier this month. The latest deaths bring to at least 71 the number of people killed in near-daily demonstrations in Sudan. Read more

Greece has imposed a vaccination mandate for people 60 and older, as a spike in infections has put sustained pressure on Greek hospitals. People in that age group who fail to get vaccinated will face a 50-euro ($57) fine in January and monthly fines of 100 euros ($114) after that. About 69% of Greece’s 10.7 million people are fully vaccinated, just under the EU average of 70.3%. New infections surged sharply in early January, driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. Read more

State Sen. Mario Scavello is also seeking a state ban on working with federal contractors that transport illegal immigrants to Pennsylvania. Read more

Auction house Sotheby’s Dubai has unveiled a diamond that’s literally from out of this world. Sotheby’s calls the 555.55-carat black diamond believed to have come from outer space “The Enigma.” It was shown off on Monday to journalists as part of a tour in Dubai and Los Angeles before it is due to be auctioned off in February in London. Sotheby’s expects the diamond to be sold for at least 5 million British pounds, about $6.8 million. Sophie Stevens, a jewelry specialist at Sotheby’s Dubai, told The Associated Press that the number five bears an importance significance to the diamond, which has 55 facets as well. Stevens said the black diamond is likely from outer space. Read more

Natalie Geisenberger has made it official: She’s heading to the Beijing Games and seeking a third consecutive Olympic women’s luge gold medal. The German slider, generally considered the best in the history of her sport, had considered skipping the Olympics for a multitude of reasons. They included human rights issues, and her belief that luge athletes were not treated well by Chinese officials when training there earlier this season. But in a social media post on Monday, the four-time world champion and eight-time World Cup overall champion laid out her reasons for deciding to compete in what presumably will be her final Olympics. She turns 34 on Feb. 5, the first full day of competition at the Beijing Games. Read more

Alec Baldwin has surrendered his cellphone as part of the investigation into a fatal shooting on a New Mexico film set last fall. A Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman says Baldwin’s phone was turned over Friday to authorities in New York’s Suffolk County and that information from the phone will be provided to investigators. They obtained a search warrant last month for the phone’s contents in their investigation into the Oct. 21 shooting on set for “Rust.” Baldwin was an actor and co-producer for the production. Authorities have said Baldwin’s prop revolver discharged a live round during a rehearsal, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Read more

A dangerous winter storm is whipping the East Coast with significant snowfall, strong thunderstorms and blustery winds Monday. Meteorologists said a foot or more of snow fell in parts of New York state, Ohio and Pennsylvania through Monday morning. New York City was spared most of the snowfall. Sleet and rain are the main threats for much of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Road conditions were also a concern. Plow truck drivers were scattered along roads and highways in the region in the early morning hours. The storm forced the closure of many COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites in the northeast. Read more

A Polish Senate commission has opened an investigation into the use of powerful spyware against government critics. The panel on Monday heard testimony from cybersecurity experts, who compared the right-wing government's targeting of opposition figures to methods used by the Kremlin against critics in Russia. Two senior researchers with the Citizen Lab, a research group based at the University of Toronto, told the seven-member committee that they were able to confirm that data was stolen from the phone of a Polish senator, Krzysztof Brejza. In December they said that Brejza and two others — a lawyer and a prosecutor — were hacked aggressively with Pegasus, spyware produced by Israel’s NSO Group. Read more

The Pittsburgh Steelers are facing an eventful offseason following a second straight first-round playoff exit. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is expected to retire after 18 seasons. Who will replace him is one of several key questions Pittsburgh needs to answer in the coming months. The offensive and defensive lines need an influx of talent and staff changes could be in the works. First-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada struggled and longtime defensive coordinator Keith Butler's future could be in doubt after the Steelers finished dead last in the NFL against the run. Read more

The coronavirus’ omicron variant is barreling across South America and pressuring hospitals whose employees are getting infected and taking sick leave, leaving facilities understaffed to cope with COVID-19′s third wave. It wasn’t supposed to be this way: South America wasn’t the first region to gain access to vaccines, but uptake was eager as soon as they were available. About two-thirds of its roughly 435 million residents are fully immunized, the highest percentage of any global region’s residents. And health workers in Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina have already been receiving booster shots. But omicron is defying vaccines and, with people out and about enjoying their summers and spreading the virus, many medical staff are taking sick leave. Read more

New Zealand and Australia have sent military surveillance flights to assess the damage caused by a huge undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga. Communications with the Pacific island nation have been limited since Saturday's eruption. A British woman who was missing has been found dead, in the first reported fatality on Tonga. Residents who got messages out to the world described a moonscape left by tsunami waves and volcanic ash fall. The single underwater cable that provides internet and international phone service was likely severed by the eruption. The ash was contaminating drinking water. New Zealand is planning to fly water and other supplies to Tonga on Tuesday. Read more

The Joint Chiefs of Staff says Chairman Gen. Mark Milley has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing very minor symptoms. As well, the Marine Corps says its commandant, Gen. David Berger, also has COVID-19. Joint Chiefs spokesperson Col. Dave Butler says Milley tested positive Sunday. He says Milley had received the COVID-19 vaccine and a booster shot and is isolating and working remotely. Milley’s most recent contact with President Joe Biden was on Wednesday at the funeral of Gen. Raymond Odierno. The Marine Corps gave no other details about Berger except to say he continues to work. Read more

Emirati police say a suspected drone attack claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels may have sparked an explosion that engulfed three oil tankers in Abu Dhabi and another fire at an extension of Abu Dhabi International Airport that killed three people and wounded six. Abu Dhabi police identified the dead as two Indian nationals and one Pakistani. They didn't identify the wounded; police said they suffered minor or moderate wounds. An investigation was underway. Abu Dhabi police did not immediately offer any suspects. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they targeted the United Arab Emirates, without elaborating. The Iranian-backed Houthis have claimed several attacks that Emirati officials later denied took place. Read more

Palestinian residents of a flashpoint east Jerusalem neighborhood are locked in a tense standoff with Israeli authorities after police came to evict them from a disputed property. Several residents of a home in Sheikh Jarrah climbed onto the roof of the building on Monday with gas tanks and threatened to set them alight should the municipality follow through with the eviction. Residents say they purchased the property before 1967, when Israel captured east Jerusalem. The state has argued in court that the family does not have property rights. City Hall and the police say the court ordered the family to vacate the property for a school to serve Palestinian children. Read more

Credit Suisse says its chairman has resigned following an internal investigation that reportedly turned up that he had violated quarantine rules intended to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The resignation of Antonio Horta-Osorio, a British-Portuguese national who took the job barely eight months ago, was announced Monday. It's the latest upheaval at the top-drawer Swiss bank that has faced an array of recent troubles, including bad bets on hedge funds and an internal spying scandal. Axel Lehmann will take over the post. Lehmann is a Swiss national and former executive at rival bank UBS who joined the Credit Suisse board in October. Read more