Lehigh County News

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, has organized a food drive while pinning the ongoing government shutdown on Senate Democrats. SNAP benefits that help feed millions of low-income Americans are hours away from expiring.

The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation have launched a $500,000 fundraising campaign to strengthen food access and deliver rapid relief to families in need.

In the Lehigh Valley, 105,000 people rely on SNAP benefits for food assistance. One in four of them is a child. When federal safety nets falter, the charitable food network becomes the community’s last line of defense. It requires collaboration, leadership and shared purpose.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has filed an emergency motion in Lehigh County Court requesting that a judge unseal documents in at least 22 criminal cases tied to an interstate drug ring. Among the defendants is Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi.

Ahead of Election Day, Political Pulse host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick break down what to expect, including the races to keep an eye on.

A proper complement of 31 personnel each shift and at least one new fire station are needed given current on-the-job conditions and an increase in service demand, according to new staffing-study data from International Association of Fire Fighters Local 735.

Renter mobility — or those moving place to place — dropped by 23.2% between 2018 and 2023, putting the Lehigh Valley at No. 104 out of 105 of America’s Move-Easy Hotspots.

On average, each commuter in the Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton area lost 36 hours to gridlock in 2024 and burned 12 gallons of fuel idling on congested roads, according to the 2025 Urban Mobility Report.

At a workshop meeting Monday, Lower Macungie officials reviewed plans for a commercial development along Route 100, including the region's first Sprouts Farmers Market.

State Rep. Josh Siegel has raised more than $447,000 toward his Lehigh County executive campaign since March — just short of the record Don Cunningham set in 2005. Siegel, a Democrat, has outspent Republican Roger MacLean by a nearly 10-to-1 margin this election cycle.

The policy lays employees’ “obligations and responsibilities” when interacting with federal immigration authorities, Executive Josh Siegel said Tuesday.

New data released by the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors shows the region's median sales price climbed 8.7% year over year to $375,000, matching the highest median sales price ever recorded locally in July 2025.

The group showed why it has had that staying power: Its hits — in a sprawling 26-song, 2½-hour show, the band offered 14 gold and platinum hits — still resonate.

The first-term senator laid out his opposition to data centers and answered some of the “almost 100 questions” he said he received during a virtual town hall Wednesday night.

A review of violations filed since June 5 found dozens of charges for the "prohibited use of interactive mobile device" across Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley has proposed bringing back an intangible asset tax. Supporters believe it could shift tax burdens away from working families while critics argue it would punish small business owners and invite lawsuits.

Tickets, starting at $126.65, remain available at the PPL Center website or the box office at 701 W. Hamilton St., Allentown.

The applicant requested the meeting be postponed, according to city officials.

Data centers dominated discussion for more than three hours as Allentown City Council held a public hearing on proposed regulations before voting hours later to table them.

Proposed regulations on data center are set to come too late to affect a proposed "hyperscale" facility in South Allentown.

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley and Bradley Merkl-Gump, a school board director in Bucks County, swept their home counties, according to unofficial precinct-level results.

A recent drowning death has prompted the Lehigh County Coroner to ask people to keep water safety in mind as we enter the summer season.