Lehigh County News

South Whitehall Township commissioners on Wednesday launched an executive search for a new chief for the South Whitehall Township Police Department.

Upper Macungie planners reviewed plans for two warehouse expansions Wednesday night before the plans end up in the hands of the Board of Supervisors.

Plans for a Taco Bell with a dual drive-thru in Whitehall Township were approved by the township's planning commission on Wednesday night.

EPA officials last week announced the first-ever national drinking water standard regulating per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are widespread, long-lasting in the environment and have been linked to long-term health issues.

More than 22 million American households use the Affordable Connectivity Act to pay for high-speed internet. But with funding running dry and Congress gridlocked, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild and other Democrats are considering an esoteric rule to force a vote.

Jorge Suarez-Santiago, 34, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Jayleen Rivas-Rodriguez, 35, of Allentown, have had warrants issued for their arrest, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said.

For every Republican voting by mail this April, there are 2.75 Democrats voting by mail, according to state data. Political observers believe it could give Democrats an advantage heading into the November election should the pattern hold.

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday for Iron Menace, the Northeast's first-ever "dive" roller coaster that features a 95-degree, 152-foot drop.

Construction of a new Taco Bell was approved by the Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board on Tuesday night. The board also approved a zoning variance request, a zoning exemption, and tabled a discussion until May.

Skill games — those machines that look like slot machines in convenience stores and taverns across Pennsylvania — are a potential public safety threat because they deal in cash in places that generally have little or no security procedures in place, according to the state district attorneys association.

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.

Republicans in key battleground U.S. House districts are working to contain the political fallout that may come when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act.

The Northeast PA Regional Counter-Terrorism Task Force said customers in Lehigh and Northampton counties have been affected by a recent data breach.

Josh Siegel wants to pursue a housing plan utilized in Montgomery County, Maryland, to create 1,500 apartment units in the region. His transition team includes a committee tasked with responding to Trump administration directives.

This week on Watching the Skies, WLVR's Brad Klein talks about Lehigh Valley entrepreneur Jared Isaacman's second bid to lead NASA.

The pickup truck lost control near 12th and Vultee streets in Allentown and hit a fire hydrant, utility pole and the Lehigh Valley Logistics building at 1801 S. 12th St., according to state police.

Nearly 800 students at Southern Lehigh's Joseph P. Liberati Intermediate School spent a week learning to write, address, and mail handwritten letters through the Dearist literacy program — sending holiday messages to local seniors, veterans and nonprofit groups.

"Too many families are discovering that their gift was emptied by a scammer before it was ever used. We should not allow criminals to take advantage of this season of generosity," State Sen. Lisa Boscola said.

The Whitehall-Coplay School District held its third annual Zephyr Holiday event at the Burlington store in Whitehall. Twenty-four elementary and middle school students from challenged families were given $200 gift cards to shop for holiday gifts for family members. Members of area law enforcement accompanied the children during the event.

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

The zoo held a ribbon-cutting at the Fred & Anne Jaindl Family Barnyard and St. Luke's Children's Hospital Playground Wednesday, marking the completion of phase one of its Children's Activity Area project. The two spaces now are officially open to the public.

Alfeni Romero-Tavares, 23, and Joel Garcia-Paulino, who turns 23 on Thursday, Dec. 4, both of Allentown, had preliminary hearings on felony counts of homicide and conspiracy to commit homicide and a misdemeanor charge of tampering with evidence.