Business News

A new AP-NORC poll finds this holiday season isn’t quite so merry for American shoppers as large shares of them are dipping into savings, scouring for bargains and feeling like the overall economy is stuck in a rut. The vast majority of U.S. adults say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for groceries, electricity and holiday gifts.

Groundbreaking for a 72-unit apartment expansion was held at Fellowship Community senior independent living in Whitehall Township on Friday.

South Whitehall Township Planning Commission reviewed a plan for an Islamic Center along Ridgeview Drive. Members raised concerns about traffic and recommended a study.

There's still a ways to go before developers know what will be going inside the historic Wells Fargo bank building at 52 W. Broad St., according to Plamen “Rocco” Ayvazov, head of Monocacy Builders, the property owner.

After a decade of business, the restaurant inside the Renaissance Allentown Hotel is expanding its regional sourcing and guest experience with a new culinary concept and revamped interior. Director of Culinary and Restaurant Operations Nick Vogel said he intends to let local ingredients "shine" in the restaurant's four seasonal menus.

A proposed property tax rebate for senior citizens, drawn from hybrid police patrol vehicle fuel savings, will have to wait to be voted on until Jan. 2026.

Two North Whitehall Township supervisors on Wednesday rejected a challenge to township zoning rules surrounding at-home auto repair businesses. It's far from the end of a legal fight over whether township resident Gene Weierbach's business should be allowed to operate.

Community Bike Works in Easton is celebrating the 30th year of its Earn a Bike program. Low-income families from the Lehigh Valley can become eligible to get a bike by signing up online or in person for the 24-hour mentoring program.

Easton officials announced the launch of nonprofit HOME Easton and the start of a new Landlord-Tenant Engagement Program on Wednesday, with the goal to address affordable housing and improve the rental scene in the city.

City planners meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at Bethlehem Town Hall, 10 E. Church St. The proposal for the former Wells Fargo is listed fourth on an agenda of five items.

Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone's workforce housing ordinance passed council on Wednesday, launching a new program to promote affordable residences for those who fall in the middle income bracket.

The venue on Thursday touted the installation of a massive, high-definition videoboard that nearly doubles the size of the original display installed in 2014.

Gas prices are going up for UGI customers in the near future, but the rate hike will be lower than expected after a settlement announced Thursday with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Plainfield Township's board of supervisors voted Wednesday to exempt landfills from steep slope rules to allow Grand Central Landfill to expand. The body voted down a measure allowing dumps by right in the township's waste processing zone.

New partnerships with Bethlehem Parking Authority and Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority resulted in less traffic congestion at Musikfest this year, despite record attendance, the city said.

Developer Manny Makhoul wants to put 180 housing units on an undeveloped lot north of East Hamilton Street that covers about 17 acres.

Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley received a $35,000 donation from The Giant Company.

Lehigh County took another look at the 2026 budget, highlighting some key areas of concern including a state budget shortfall which has forced the county to fall back on its stabilization fund.

Parkland School District will seek to join a lawsuit that will decide the future of Nexus 78, a proposed warehouse near district property in North Whitehall Township. The warehouse would be unsafe for students, board members said.

The Allentown City Planning Commission first approved plans at the proposed Commerce Park site in 2016.

Parkland School Board plans to vote Monday to join a court battle to decide whether a 501,000-square-foot warehouse will take shape in North Whitehall Township.

Allentown School District held a kickoff event Thursday at South Mountain to tell students and families about the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program that gives each student an iPad for the school year.