Lehigh County News

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently granted several local municipalities and counties for the upcoming fiscal year.

Birks was given a four-year contract as schools superintendent, serving until 2027. She has served in an interim capacity since last Oct. 31.

Richard M. Bodner testified on Friday to the safety measures implemented not only to the existing Bethlehem Landfill but its proposed expansion in Lower Saucon Township.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs showed off renovations and upgrades to Coca-Cola Park that were mandated by Major League Baseball. They're the first minor league team in the Phillies organization to complete the necessary updates, General Manager Kurt Landes said.

20-year-old Penn State student Jacob Roth is running for a full term on South Whitehall's Board of Commissioners.

Northampton County is approved to join other municipalities and residents who have a legal standing in opposing the proposed landfill in Lower Saucon Township.

The specialty flight company MedEscort says it has "repatriated" over 6,000 patients to more than 100 countries. Critics say they're profiting from "medical deportations." The company challenges the phrase, and denies pressuring the family.

The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study is revising its regional transportation plan for Lehigh and Northampton counties and is seeking public input.

Candidate for South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners Ben Long wants to work with developers to make their plans into the best possible development for the township rather than trying to stop them.

The North Whitehall Planning Commission tabled one waiver for the Strawberry Acres 55-plus residential development plan and recommended denial for another.

Another energized, entertaining and successful annual meeting and awards show of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce had ended.

An attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press argued that a motion to unseal court dockets tied to a drug bust should be allowed to continue in Lehigh County Court. LehighValleyNews.com, lehighvalleylive.com and the Morning Call have joined in the effort to make the records public.

The new 68,000-square-foot store and on-site fuel station at 3300 Lehigh St. will open at 8 a.m. Nov. 21 and afterward operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, the chain said in a release.

Current conditions, along with the continued drying of fine fuels, "could support the rapid spread of any fires that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to control," the National Weather Service said.

With an unusually politicized Supreme Court retention question on the ballot Tuesday, Lehigh Valley voters overwhelmingly backed Democratic candidates.

Brenda Rodriguez, 52, of Palmerton, is the final of three defendants to be sentenced in the Dec. 7, 2024, shooting death of her husband, Hector Garcia Gomez, in the parking lot of Loco Hot Deals, 1155 MacArthur Road.

Mackenzie, along with officials from Wildlands Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, on Wednesday morning hiked a portion of the property, lauding the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund that helped preserve it.

These are the complete but unofficial election returns reported by Lehigh County for the Nov. 4, 2025, general election.

Democrat Sarah Fevig may have spent a record amount for a single county commissioner candidate in her campaign. Meanwhile, Zach Cole-Borghi handily defeated his opponent despite the specter of criminal charges.

There were several contested school board races in Lehigh and Northampton counties for Tuesday's general election. Here are the unofficial returns as reported by the counties.

Mark Stanziola defeated prosecutor Patricia Mulqueen in the race for Lehigh County judge. The judgeship is a new one approved by state lawmakers and brings to 11 the number of Common Pleas Court judges in Lehigh County.

People came to the polls mindful of the state Supreme Court retention vote — and with a wide variety of issues on their minds, from the federal government shutdown to abortion policy and access to health care.