Consumer Affairs

The amenities make a difference, and all of it “separates us from a run-of-the-mill middle class hotel to a luxury historic hotel,” said Hotel Bethlehem Managing Partner Bruce Haines.

If approved as written, “A municipal authority shall provide notice to utility customers if the municipal authority determines that the water usage has increased by 50% for one month above the average water usage for the property.”

Monday was "a little bittersweet" as visitors enjoyed the Da Vinci Science Center on Cedar Crest College's campus for the final time, according to a science center executive.

To thrive in an oversaturated market, business owners say providing an experience is key — and it's what their newer clientele keep asking for.

The Steel City cell tower was planned to include a 125-foot tower, panel antennas, equipment cabinets and a diesel, standby generator on a ground-level concrete pad.

Dan Shantz Greenhouse, a popular plant destination in Allentown, closed in December 2023. But now it's back, temporarily, and under new out-of-county operators.

With the superstructure about 65% demolished, BPA Executive Director Steven Fernstrom said all is looking “on target” for completion in late May or early June.

The Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority Board of Governors voted Tuesday to approve a $2.50 fee on every ride-share trip to and from the Lehigh Valley airport and chose a design firm for a proposed parking garage there.

The Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority's business committee recommended higher rideshare fees, endorsed a design firm to oversee plans for a new parking garage at Lehigh Valley International Airport, and reviewed a new tool for passengers to book flights to and from LVIA.

Allentown pet stores can no longer sell guinea pigs after city council approved a ban last week. Council members, though, voted down a measure to also prohibit the sale of betta fish in city stores.

Holiday lights will illuminate the Lehigh Valley Zoo and Coca-Cola Park while Christmas City decks the hall with Moravian traditions this holiday season.

Community Bank announced in June it would assume seven Santander Bank branches in the Lehigh Valley by the end of 2025. In November, the company announced that acquisition is now complete.

The draft plan is the product of a series of well-attended public-input meetings over the past year.

Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone has confirmed he will host his annual free turkey giveaway for residents in need, set for Nov. 22.

Gov. Josh Shapiro says Pennsylvania's utility companies have stepped up to shelter low-income households this winter. The customers are usually covered by LIHEAP, but the federal assistance program has experienced delays due to the federal government shutdown.

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.

Among the free food, candy and raffles was quite a spread of information available, both in English and Spanish, for families related to a major neighborhood redesign in the works.

The Gateway on Fourth, a 120-unit affordable housing project, expected to cost $29 million, just received $16 million in highly competitive tax credits awarded by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency board. It's one of two affordable housing projects out of six total applicants in the Lehigh Valley to receive the credits.

The filings, which occurred over the past few days in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey, are individual filings of LLCs, including the location that was based at the Lehigh Valley Mall Lifestyle Center.

PPL Electric Utilities this week filed its first distribution base rate request in a decade, seeking approval from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for an 8.6% increase in annual revenue — about $356 million.

It's budget time in Easton again, and for another year, Mayor Sal Panto Jr. has confirmed that property taxes will remain stable.

As a new round of scams make way through Pennsylvanians via phone call and text message, officials are warning residents to be cautious and instead report potential scams to the appropriate agencies.