Bethlehem Area

The staff at Bethlehem Area Public Library has taken out the time to tell us their favorite chapters of the entire year that has just passed.

As 2023 draws to a close, lehighvalleynews.com offers a retrospective of a variety of stories about people, places and things that make the Lehigh Valley special.

The landfill, located at 2335 Applebutter Road, and its potential expansion were polarizing topics in the race for Lower Saucon Township Council.

Executive Education Academy Charter has been waiting to appeal its application denial since 2021. Gov. Josh Shapiro's nominees were just confirmed by the State Senate earlier this month.

The Lehigh Valley tradition started in 2009. The family-friendly New Year's celebration returns this Saturday and Sunday at the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem. Fireworks are set for both nights.

"Be aware, set your alarms," Lower Saucon Township Police Chief Thomas Barndt said at a township council meeting.

A popular cocktail bar and restaurant is closed on Bethlehem's Southside, but the owner says she hopes to reopen early next year.

The K-9 was recently credited for his role in a nine-hour standoff in October, where he ultimately sniffed out a wanted man holed up in the third-floor closet of a home in West Bethlehem.

Getting physical and mental health in check is a popular new year resolution. Lehigh Valley health leaders are explaining how they plan to accomplish their goals for 2024.

The new language defines these "mills" as, "large-scale commercial breeding facilities where the health and welfare of the animals are not adequately provided for ... "