Lehigh County News

Voters are increasingly breaking with the Republican and Democratic parties. One national poll found a record 45% of Americans consider themselves politically independent.

Democratic voters in Pennsylvania's 16th and 18th Senate districts may have contested races this spring. Meanwhile, Republican Zach Mako is seeking re-election in Pennsylvania's 183rd House District.

In counties such as Lehigh, eviction filings have reached their highest point in years, even as rental vacancy rates have fluctuated. That apparent contradiction — rising vacancy estimates alongside persistent eviction volume — is part of a broader housing dynamic playing out across the region.

The special election will be held Tuesday, Feb. 24, in the 22nd House District, which covers parts of East Allentown, Center City and a part of Salisbury Township. The debate was broadcast live on PBS39 and streamed here at LehighValleyNews.com.

Joining host Tom Shortell on this week's Political Pulse, Ryan Crosswell said his campaign is focused on two priorities: lowering costs for families and defending democratic institutions.

The early LIHEAP crisis numbers already represent a notable share of last winter’s total in the Lehigh Valley, according to data provided by the Department of Human Services.

An extreme cold warning, combined with a wind advisory also in effect, could mean wind chills as low as 20 degrees below zero for the region this weekend.

Appearing on this week's Lehigh Valley Political Pulse with host Tom Shortell, Pinsley framed his campaign around what he described as “bread and butter issues,” arguing that rising costs remain the central concern for voters, and that corporate power is to blame.

Gov. Josh Shapiro's 2026-27 budget proposal falls back on familiar proposals to regulate skill games and legalize marijuana, two flashpoints that fueled a months-long budget impasse last year.

"The IronPigs will be concluding our naming rights partnership with Coca-Cola in September of 2027, as at that time our current agreement will come to its successful completion,” IronPigs President Kurt Landes said at a joint news conference Tuesday.

South Whitehall Planning Commission on Thursday reviewed a sketch plan for a housing development 81 South Cedar Crest Blvd. The proposed development would be adjacent to Cedar Creek Park.

Police declined to provide any additional information, but the rumor mill has the president stopping in at least one local business on his visit to the Lehigh Valley on Friday. East Penn and several other school districts plan to dismiss students early.

South Whitehall Township Vacancy Board appointed Public Safety Commission member Chris Peischl to a vacant seat on the Board of Commissioners. Peischl ran for the board in the 2023 election.

Lehigh County announced a new service that allows 911 operators to request live video communication from callers

President Joe Biden will make his second presidential visit to the Allentown area on Friday. The planned trip comes a week after he launched his re-election campaign by calling out former President Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy.

A severe rainstorm is expected to cause flooding that may impact roadways throughout the Lehigh Valley.

The funding for four projects came from the Growing Greener and Act 167 grant programs, both through the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Five farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in the commonwealth’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

The Upper Macungie Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to make newly-elected supervisor Jeff Fleischaker the chairman of the board at its meeting Tuesday.

The North Whitehall Board of Supervisors on Tuesday granted approval for a new recreation center at Valley Youth House's Camp Fowler. It will be called the Carter Family Center.

January is National Radon Action Month, and officials from the American Lung Association are offering a limited supply of free radon test kits for commonwealth residents, including those in the the Lehigh Valley.

Gavin Holihan took the oath of office Tuesday morning as Lehigh County's new district attorney. He said he'll divert resources away from penny-ante issues to focus on battling violent crime.