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.

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.