Business News

Black Friday is almost upon us, when retailers kick off the holiday season with offers meant to get customers in the shopping mood. A number of stores that were closed on Thanksgiving, including Walmart and Target, reopen early Friday as the holiday shopping season begins in earnest.

The state Public Utility Commission announced a proposed settlement that also requires the Allentown-based utility company to absorb about $16 million in costs associated with corrective actions. It still requires approval by PUC commissioners.

Emmaus is among many Lehigh Valley communities to host Small Business Saturday events, to encourage residents to support locally-owned businesses.

Pennsylvania saw a nearly 50% increase in Hispanic-owned businesses between 2012 and 2019, according to Census data. Non-Hispanic businesses increased by 9.3%, which means Latinos are creating businesses at a higher rate than their non-Hispanic peers.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

A 95,750-square-foot, 144-bed behavioral hospital planned for Hanover Township in Northampton County expected to create more than 300 jobs was among two development projects reviewed by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday night.

A new robotics center is now open at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Center Valley. The Fleming Center for Robotics in Rehabilitation opened Thursday thanks to a significant gift from the Fleming Foundation.

The mysterious and sometimes sacred symbols are meant to bring good fortune and wins to players and fans.

Passengers will soon be able to fly from Lehigh Valley International Airport to all three of Orlando's main airports.

Mack Trucks threatened to replace any employees who don't return to work if the latest offer wasn't accepted. Points of dispute included job security, labor demands and retirement safety nets.

The owners of a childcare center looking into expanding the operation received a special exception from Allentown's zoning hearing board Monday evening, though in the end, that exception was not even necessary.

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.