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.

Safety officials with PPL presented about a dozen demonstrations of electrical hazards to more than 100 firefighters in Williams Township. The event was designed to educate first responders about potential electrical mishaps at the scenes of emergencies.

Residents displaced by a May fire at the Five10 Flats apartment and retail building could get a chance to move back in as soon as January, according to one building official.

Bubbakaoo's Burritos, a national, Mexican-themed restaurant, will hold its grand opening in the Hellertown area on Tuesday.

North Whitehall Township's planning commission raised questions over a supposed agreement between the Kornfeinds and the former owner of an adjoining property which will play into the development of the Kornfeind Car Wash.

A few authors have brought books into Moravian Book Shop with AI-generated covers or art. That was enough for the staff to formally announce online that the bookstore would not support the use of technology that may replace creative jobs.

North Whitehall Township's planning commission reviewed a proposal for a developer seeking special exception for a new solar field along Egypt Road at their Thursday meeting.

Five of the farms are in Northampton County and four in Lehigh County. They were among 33 farms across the state approved this month for Pennsylvania's Farmland Preservation Program.

Bosch Rexroth will move employees from the current Bethlehem Township logistics center to Bethlehem and into a new warehouse on City Line Road in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park I.

South Whitehall Township's board of commissioners received an update on the Nestlé Purina water line project, which is progressing at a steady pace, even if concerns over the cost to tie into the line remain.

To CEO Russell Fletcher, starting out as a small hyper-local business gave Mishka Premium Vodka a leg up to evolve at the rate it is right now. Soon, the vodka, which is distilled in Allentown, will be carried by yet another national chain.

The new eatery, Okatshe, will open at 947 W. Hamilton St., connected to The Moxy Allentown Downtown Hotel in mid-September, Garces announced in a release.

Northampton County's Return on Environment report won't come out until the fall, but early findings support the notion that local open spaces provide financial and health benefits for residents.