Lehigh County News

South Whitehall Township’s planning commission weighed in Thursday on plans to improve municipal sewer infrastructure to comply with state regulations.

The property on West Packer Avenue will be rehabbed by the city and operated by the Lehigh Conference of Churches using state funding allocated to help prevent and address homelessness for individuals and families.

A group from the Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living traveled to Harrisburg on Wednesday to speak with local legislators about the importance of continued state funding for organizations that help the disabled.

Umran Global Investment is aiming to build a 37-story tower at an empty lot at the corner of Ninth and Walnut streets with more than 200 apartments, as well as retail and office space.

Krista Brown-Ly has served as the center's interim executive director after Ashley L. Coleman resigned last year.

Whitehall-Coplay School Board approved a 4.6% property tax increase at its Monday committee meeting, but it will require $2.8 million from the general fund to make ends meet.

Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners unanimously approval a developer's request to construct 57 townhomes and 59 single-unit homes along Rural Road in two phases, not one, as was originally proposed.

Jason Krasley also is due to stand trial on numerous charges stemming from alleged sexual assaults in 2011 and 2015 when he served on the city’s Vice and Intelligence Unit.

Ryan Crosswell, a recent arrival in the Lehigh Valley, is the third Democrat to get in line to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. The seat should be one of the most contested U.S. House races in the 2026 midterms.

Speeding was so rampant on Center Valley Parkway in Upper Saucon Township that LehighValleyNews.com recorded someone going 95 mph near Promenade Saucon Valley.

Joshua Ortiz, 28, of Allentown, had pleaded guilty April 22 to attempted murder — a first-degree felony — in the June 4, 2023, incident in the parking lot of AutoZone, 1871 S. Fifth St., Allentown.

The years-long process to connect Lower Macungie warehouses more directly with Route 100 is nearing completion, with some hoping it can alleviate damaging truck detours.

South Whitehall Planner Gregg Adams is retiring on June 30 after 25 years with the township. Adams helped steer the township through two comprehensive plans and the Ridge Farms controversy.

North Whitehall Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a revised plan of the Rising Sun subdivision, which would have 110 single-family homes on about 100 acres at 1321 Rising Sun Road.

People in the Lehigh Valley are struggling more to pay for essentials such as rent, food and health care compared to the rest of Pennsylvania, according to a study by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

A new 26-page report, "Preserving Pennsylvania's Bridges," by The National Transportation Group says a significant number of the state's bridges have surpassed or are approaching 50 years old, and new funding is needed to prevent significant issues in deterioration.

South Whitehall Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an agreement between the township and Dorney Park to try to address traffic concerns on Hamilton Boulevard near the park.

With more than two dozen species of fireflies that call Pennsylvania home, it’s no wonder one was adopted as the state’s insect. But, these flashy insects are threatened due habitat loss and light pollution.

The City of Allentown held a Juneteenth Block Party celebration at Center Square on Tuesday, commemorating the last bastion of slavery in the U.S. in 1865.

Parkland School Board approved its final budget Tuesday, which will take the millage rate from 16.30 mills to 17.12 mills, a 5% increase. The average resident will pay about $200 more in school property taxes next year.

A continuance was granted for the sixth time this year to Paxos Group real estate company for a hearing before the Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board on charges it has violated a zoning ordinance prohibiting the renting or leasing of condominiums as apartments on Arey Lane.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, is slated to appear at Saturday's Rally the Valley for Women's Choice in Bethlehem. It's part of a five-day campaign tour the three-term incumbent is launching this week in his race against Republican challenger David McCormick.