Jason Addy
Allentown Area reporterI cover Allentown and have worked for news outlets in Pennsylvania, Chicago and Minneapolis since graduating from Penn State. It’s great to be much closer to home — I was born and raised in Lehighton — and I’m excited to help share Allentown’s stories. If you've got an idea, I want to hear it. You can reach me any time at jasona@lehighvalleynews.com.
-
Nadeem Shahzad said Mayor Matt Tuerk forced him to step down in mid-August after he didn’t fire another employee. Tuerk fired that employee Nov. 20 "based on his belief that she was a troublemaker,” according to Shahzad. -
A developer is going back to the drawing board after the Allentown Zoning Hearing Board was reluctant Monday to approve its plans for a 445-unit self-storage facility.
-
A mostly vacant warehouse in East Allentown could be converted into 36 apartments.
-
City Council members this month unanimously approved a new quarter-century lease — at $1 a year — for the museum in the Little Lehigh Parkway.
-
An expansion of the state’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program “delivers the largest targeted tax cut for Pennsylvania seniors in nearly two decades,” according to the Department of Revenue.
-
Jim Martin, who has served as Lehigh County district attorney for a quarter-century, played a major role in the launch of the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center.
-
The county’s legal department urged commissioners to wait until their next meeting to ensure any changes to the bill could be properly advertised, as required by Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act.
-
Mayor Matt Tuerk’s firing of a human-resources employee who filed complaints against the city was “an act of revenge,” Councilman Ed Zucal said. On Tuesday, Tuerk made his first public comments regarding the matter.
-
Karen Ocasio, who worked in the human resources department, repeatedly called for an investigation after detailing what she said were her experiences of racism and discrimination while working for the city. One council member labeled her firing "an act of revenge" and "blatant retaliation and retribution” by Mayor Matt Tuerk.
-
The Lehigh County Authority is raising its water fees in 2024, but Allentown residents will also have to pay more for sewer services.
-
WLVR’s Brad Klein gets an update from reporter Jason Addy on the status of the Jordan Creek encampment in Allentown.
-
Developer Manny Makhoul wants to put 180 housing units on an undeveloped lot north of East Hamilton Street that covers about 17 acres.
-
The controller's report — published in mid-July — says the Guardian ad Litem program in Lehigh County lacks centralization, oversight and consistency in billing and compensation. That undermines "public trust in child welfare proceedings," he said.
-
Bogert’s Covered Bridge is due to close Sept. 15; it’s expected to be out of commission for about a year, officials said Thursday.
-
The Allentown City Planning Commission first approved plans at the proposed Commerce Park site in 2016.
-
Attorneys from Duane Morris LLC and Allentown City Council's solicitor repeatedly said they could provide no further information about what investigators learned while interviewing more than 40 people and poring over tens of thousands of pages of documents because they are "personnel matters."
-
Allentown City Council members on Thursday are set to release findings from a long-running investigation into allegations of racism and discrimination.
-
Allentown City Council last month gave Mayor Matt Tuerk 30 days to acquire a property for safe camping or temporary shelter for residents of an encampment due to close Sept. 29. Tuerk says he won't meet that deadline.
-
State prosecutors took over four cases against former Allentown officer Jason Krasley. The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office will continue prosecuting Krasley on charges related to a 2019 theft.
-
Committing to driving safely can be “the difference between life or death,” Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio said. Many causes of deadly crashes include speeding, distracted or impaired driving, and failing to wear a seat belt or helmet, officials said.
-
The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office handed cases against two former Allentown vice officers to the Pennsylvania Attorney’s General’s Office due to a potential conflict of interest.
-
Residents, leaders of nonprofits and others met Tuesday at the Allentown YMCA's Warming Station, which is set to open early this year to serve residents of a homeless encampment in the city.
