Business News

City planners meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at Bethlehem Town Hall, 10 E. Church St. The proposal for the former Wells Fargo is listed fourth on an agenda of five items.

Lehigh Valley residents attended a state Public Utility Commission hearing on Tuesday to oppose a proposed rate increase by PPL Electric Utilities. It would be the first rate increase in almost a decade.

Testimony began Monday in hearings that could decide what sort of businesses are allowed at homes throughout North Whitehall Township — and whether one resident’s long-running car repair business can keep operating.

The developer behind a proposed 37-story skyscraper in Allentown asked planning officials for another delay.

Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners approved a $36.7 million budget for 2026 Monday. Several residents attended the meeting to oppose the real estate tax increase, the first in the township since 2019.

The Allentown Parking Authority, state Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton, and the City of Allentown have opened a request for proposals for the redevelopment of the 100 block of North Seventh Street.

Northampton County Council passed its $503 million budget for 2026 Thursday night, keeping taxes stable for the eighth year in a row.

General real estate taxes will stay flat in South Whitehall Township next year, its fire tax will rise 0.28 of a mill and residents will see a new 0.1% income tax to fund open space preservation.

The Lehigh Valley is projected to have significant increases in employment and population up to 2050.

After more than a year of meetings, plan review and expert testimony, Easton Planning Commission on Wednesday denied an application for a million-square-foot warehouse at 1525 Wood Ave.

Lehigh County had one of the largest percent jump in liquor sales in the state since the start of the pandemic.

Police say the "smash and grab" theft could be part of a bigger national trend.

The combination of supply constraints and the winter season is pushing energy prices up.

Most utilities will be raising electricity prices in December, according to the Pa. Public Utility Commission.

The money will be used to build more than 3 miles of roads as well as pedestrian and cycling paths.

Wolf again urged the Legislature to raise Pa.'s minimum wage to $12 an hour.

The Biden administration official hailed Northampton County's $15M in coronavirus-relief grants to small businesses.

A political action committee with ties to the Bethlehem Landfill is spending heavily in an effort to elect a Republican team of candidates.

Gov. Tom Wolf said Oct. 21, 2021, that employers who receive state loans, grants or tax breaks will be required to pay workers at least $13.50/hour and to provide paid sick leave.

Staffing shortages and hiring incentives already were in play. Then the pandemic hit.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is doling out nearly $2 million in support grants to ramp up booze production and sales.

Merrymead Farm employs about 50 people, down from the typical 120 this time of year.