Northampton County News

Based on themes of home in the Lehigh Valley and executed via improvisation on the piano, former Nazareth native Dominic Billett's new record “Truer is the Valley, the River, the Pale Sky" paints a thoughtful, vivid picture perfect for walks throughout the region.

At its Nov. 11 meeting, Northampton Area school directors considered five partial renovation options for Moore Elementary.

Northampton Area school directors approved the second round of financing for the East Allen Elementary School and education center project at their meeting last week.

Bethlehem Area school directors approved the purchase agreement for 315 Columbia St. in South Bethlehem at their Monday meeting. The space would serve as a satellite campus for the Bethlehem Area Vo-Tech School.

A partnership between Second Harvest Food Bank and the GIANT Company will make sure a thousand families have a Thanksgiving dinner.

Northampton Area School Board approved Kovalchik's retirement at Monday's school board meeting. It will be effective July 1.

Addison Agen, who finished second to Chloe Kohanski on the show's 13th season, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at the center at 30 E. Belvidere St., Nazareth.

State Rep. Joe Emrick won Pennsylvania's 137th House District in his battle against Democratic challenger Anna Thomas.

Republican state Rep. Zachary Mako was well on the way to defeating Democrat Joseph Lenzi to win a fifth term representing the 183rd House District.

The Gap Fire, which erupted Saturday near Route 248 in Lehigh Township, has drawn hundreds of firefighters over four days. Crews have gotten the upper hand and are now searching for and extinguishing hotspots, officials said.

A new Northampton County budget, introduced by County Executive Lamont McClure Tuesday, keeps taxes flat. He said he would have cut taxes, if it weren't for the County Council.

Hellertown Borough Council said it couldn't make an official decision on Lower Saucon's recent library services offer, as the Hellertown Area Library is its own separate entity.

Northampton County Elections Office initiates Ballot-on-Demand voting for the Nov. 7 Municipal Election starting today.

In its third year, and hosted by the state’s GreenGov Council and Penn State Sustainability, Commonwealth Sustainability Week features daily, free webinars focused on climate change and sustainability efforts statewide.

Noelle Kramer, director of the Hellertown Area Library, is leaving after over three years in the role. The Pittsburgh native is heading back to the Steel City.

Northampton County Judge Anthony Beltrami joined the bench in 2006. He moonlights as an amateur harness driver at horse-racing tracks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Earlier this year he was named Amateur Driver of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association.

Pennsylvania State Police provided an inventory of items seized from the Railroad Street house where the bodies of 39-year-old Rosalyn Glass and her 16-year-old daughter Rianna were found Sept. 14.

Bethlehem Landfill representatives presented a plan to add 86 acres of landfill space Thursday night, the latest step in their contentious fight to expand.

The Diocese of Allentown's Catholic Charities is not accepting new immigration cases, but the nonprofit is working to "rebuild" its program, a spokesperson said.

Hellertown Area Library officials say that they can't comment broadly on the matter just yet, as the library wasn't made aware of the proposal until this week. The proposal expires on Oct. 12.

Lehigh Valley Breathes is a Valley-wide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing. The project is expected to run for a year.

The zoning panel voted 3-0 in unanimous opposition of the proposal, citing potential disturbance to the nearby neighborhoods and more.