Lehigh County News

Planners recommended approval to the preliminary/final plan for a self-storage facility on Walbert Avenue.

The Board of Commissioners adopted the plan four years after its creation began.

A motorcade of 40 dirt bikes and ATVs ignored traffic laws and endangered others last year. They also delayed an injured Allentown detective from getting medical treatment. Only one driver, a Pen Argyl man, has been identified and charged.

The Upper Macungie Planning Commission reviewed a revised conceptual design for the proposed residential development Sunset Orchards.

Allentown City Council unanimously voted on Wednesday night to approve Mayor Matt Tuerk’s ordinance to appropriate $10,000 for an analysis of the embattled parking authority.

Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton, invited the state Senate’s top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee for a visit Tuesday of the Allentown School District’s oldest school buildings.

Allentown City Planning Commission on Tuesday gave preliminary final approval for a proposed five-story, 140-room boutique hotel, with ground-bar and restaurant at 949 Hamilton St.

Mayor Matt Tuerk is asking city council to approve a $10,000 study of the Allentown Parking Authority's management and structure. It comes in the wake of dozens of complaints from residents alleging overbearing and predatory enforcement practices.

Lehigh County Judge Thomas Capehart denied the appeal of Patrick Palmer, who argued election staff should accept his paperwork because he paid a filing fee on time.

Upper Macungie planners will discuss the Sunset Orchards residential development at a meeting Wednesday.

Allentown declared a snow emergency ahead of Sunday's major winter storm. Enforcement efforts in the city will begin Saturday morning.

Residents of South Whitehall Township voiced their opposition to a proposed 5-million-square-foot data center near Parkland High School.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has used county office space but hasn't paid rent in three years despite a 2022 memorandum of understanding, county officials said. Said Controller Mark Pinsley: "We're going to deport ICE."

Several celebrations and church services in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. have been postponed due to weather. Check back for updates.

A community meeting on the city's Urban Forestry Master Plan is slated for Feb. 2 in chambers of City Council. Residents are invited to shared feedback there, as well as through a survey.

A county judge heard arguments Friday for and against releasing the two pages from a sealed grand jury presentment that deals with the drug-charge allegations against Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi, of Bethlehem.

The funding, through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Recreation and Conservation’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program, is aimed at protecting national resources and expanding outdoor access.

Lehigh County prosecutors tried to avoid the standard procedures for criminal court by bypassing defendants' preliminary hearings. Instead, Lehigh County Judge Thomas Caffrey ruled the cases should proceed Friday morning as scheduled.

A Lehigh County judge threw out a lawsuit accusing B. Braun of emitting dangerous amounts of ethylene oxide, ruling it did not meet the legal requirements for a class action.

Buglio said the decision is driven by what investigators are increasingly encountering during death investigations, particularly in private residences.

Lower Macungie Township's planning commission voted Tuesday to recommend approving a 55,000-square-foot light manufacturing facility near Schoeneck and Alburtis roads.

The 15,100-square-foot facility would be constructed in consolidated lots at 1415 and 1425 Lehigh St.