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                Contributed/Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and United Way of the Greater Lehigh ValleyIn 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.
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                Courtesy/Lehigh UniversityAlice P. Gast led Lehigh University from 2006 to 2014. She died at age 67 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
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                        A text scam is making its rounds again, according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Recipients are urged to not click the link in the text.
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                        Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to visit the Bethlehem Steel General Office Building on Tuesday to promote his $500 million shovel-ready development program. The program was funded in the recently approved $47.6 billion 2024-2025 state budget.
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                        Gov. John Shapiro last month signed HB 1333 into law, which allows for recycled materials to be used in stuffed toys manufactured and sold statewide. In the Lehigh Valley, one toy manufacturer plans to launch a sustainable line.
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                        For decades, the land that is now Green Knight Industrial Park in Wind Gap, Plainfield Twp. and Bushkill Twp. contained a pile of 2,000,000 tires. On Thursday, officials cut the ribbon on the park's first completed building, a 50,000-square-foot warehouse.
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                        The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission issued 19 recommendations for PPL Electric to improve upon, including fixing its poor customer service and restoring power to customers faster following an outage.
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                        Former Lehigh Valley Dairy site approved for environmental study funding, may lead to revitalizationThe Lehigh County Redevelopment Authority approved a contract between Elias Property Group and Synergy Environmental Group for $67,000 for an environmental study at the former Lehigh Valley Dairy site.
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                        The $208 million will also produce 295 new union jobs, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s announcement said, though it’s unclear what cut of the funding the Macungie facility is getting or the number of new jobs expected locally.
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                        Northampton County officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for a new maintenance building for groundskeepers, replacing a more-than-century-old wooden barn the Parks Department currently uses.
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                        State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, is looking to force his predecessor, now Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne, to release tax returns about Allentown's Neighborhood Improvement Zone. Browne, who crafted the NIZ, has worked to keep the information confidential for five years.
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                        With other communities around the state adopting bans on plastic bags, Lower Saucon could be on its way to something similar. if approved, it would involve a transition process to show shoppers the bigger picture and give time for businesses to properly offload plastic bags on hand.
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                        Due to a lack of engineer review, the proposal for the 58.8 acre development was tabled until next month, when board members are expected to approve it.
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                        Developer Nat Hyman said he expects the Allentown Zoning Hearing Board to reject his newest proposal, and he’s prepared to fight that decision in court.
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                        The program provides technical assistance, mentorship and consulting services to small businesses. Applications are being accepted now.
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                        Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is opening to the public on Friday, May 12, with a preview day for season pass-holders on May 7.
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                        Despite a devastating blaze at their North New Street vegan pizzeria, the owners and manager of Paranormal Pizza are still slinging pies in the Lehigh Valley.
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                        Easton's Expanded Outdoor Dining Program, which stretches seating into parking spots outside local eateries, will relaunch on May 6.
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                        Accessorize your festing togs with a mug.
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                        The probe has been focused on a natural gas pipeline as safety investigators try to figure out the cause.
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                        Lehigh Valley Health Network names two new presidents in their system. One is the President of the Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest campus and the Lehigh Region. The other is the President of the LVH–Muhlenberg campus and the Northampton Region.
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                        City council voted 5-2 to defer discussion to council's community development committee before taking a final vote on the rezoning. The time of the meeting will be announced soon, and will be open to the public.
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                        Blackstone Structures is seeking to make room for new apartment buildings in Allentown. But its request to demolish a building as part of the project was denied Monday by the city's Historical Architectural Review Board.
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                        The park’s Public Relations and Communications Manager Ryan Eldredge answered specific questions about the policy, such as how it will be enforced, whether there will be chaperone discounts and what caused the policy change.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
