Lehigh County News

There are 51 stops on this year’s trail. In its eighth year, the trail is focused on celebrating local creameries across the state while driving business during the summer months.

Legislators worked to establish penalties for xylazine use and trafficking in an attempt to lessen its presence in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. Some say doing so made way for a new, unclassified veterinary tranquilizer to take its place — medetomidine.

The tax and spending plan drew praise from Republicans for lowering taxes and funding border security, but Democrats condemned it for slashing Medicaid coverage and raising the deficit.

In a move that Santander Bank said aligns with the financial institution's digital shift nationwide, seven Lehigh Valley branches will be sold to Community Bank. Branches will remain open and employees will be offered continued employment during the transition, which is expected to complete by the end of the year,

South Whitehall Township's board of commissioners voted Wednesday to purchase upgraded radios for first responders in the township through a five-year payment plan provided by Lehigh County.

Nearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market.

Allentown's Redevelopment Authority is applying for up to $2.5 million that could be used to rehab 10 single-family homes for low-income residents.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

Newhard Farms Corn Shed opened Tuesday for sweet corn sales. While it opened a few days later than in recent years, there's expected to be a good supply this season.

The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.

A Pennsylvania Supreme Court case delayed counties from sending out ballots, leaving voters with less time than usual to send them back in. Northampton County officials are encouraging voters to use drop boxes as a result.

Registered Democrats, Republicans and a few independents who register by Monday, April 8, can cast a ballot in the April 23 primary election.

Kevin Dellicker, Maria Montero and Ryan Mackenzie, the Republicans running for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, spell out what's needed to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. (Fifth of five parts)

Social media platforms, a toll-free number and online tip form are all part of what police are calling “PSP Tips” – a means for the community to provide information that might help solve a case, including some that are decades old.

A total of 69 military aircraft will be flying in and out of Lehigh Valley International Airport from Saturday through Monday, including Blackhawks, Apaches and Chinook helicopters.

The three conservatives running for the Lehigh Valley's 7th Congressional District seat agreed that Congress must cut spending to address the nation's record-high national debt. (Fourth of five parts)

The Pardon Project is designed to help low-income residents convicted of nonviolent crimes who have pleaded guilty and completed their sentence at least five years ago to eventually have their record expunged.

The three GOP candidates for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District discussed cutting taxes, reducing regulations and passing a balanced budget amendment as ways to improve the U.S. economy. (Third of five parts)

Maria Montero, Kevin Dellicker and Ryan Mackenzie discuss isolationism, NATO and the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel. The three Republicans are vying for the GOP nomination in the 7th Congressional District to face incumbent U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley. (Second of five parts)

Kevin Dellicker, a Republican candidate for PA-7, said he could support federal legislation setting stricter restrictions on abortion. His opponents in the Republican primary, Ryan Mackenzie and Maria Montero, said the issue of abortion access should be left to the states. (First of five parts)

Lehigh County is pulling the Child Advocacy Center, which serves children who may have been abused, out of Lehigh Valley Health Network. The new center may lack a medical specialist in the field.

As Miller-Keystone Blood Center is set to no longer be the primary supplier of one of its largest customers, supporters are speaking out about what the nonprofit center has done for them. Blood donors, recipients and coordinators are sharing their life-saving stories.