Business News

More shoppers are using ‘buy now, pay later’ plans heading into Black Friday and the holiday season, as the ability to spread out payments looks attractive at a time when Americans still feel the lingering effect of inflation and already have record-high credit card debt. Experts say the short-term loans can lead consumers to overextend themselves and warn that those who use credit cards for the service face higher interest expenses.

Officials have confirmed the Easton office of Hearst Magazines has been impacted by the layoffs announced last week, with union heads expressing outrage over the decision.

In a release Monday, the PUC said prices would adjust December 1. That means all customers will see changes in the price-to-compare from competitive suppliers against the rate of the default utility.

The health network recognized Bill and Denise Spence for their philanthropy, inspired by their daughter's pregnancy experience. Bill Spence is retired CEO of PPL Corp.

A former Plainfield Township supervisor implored the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission to review a 1988 impact study before giving its approval to a zoning amendment request to expand the Grand Central landfill operated by Waste Management.

FirstEnergy sought to raise local customers' electric bills by more than 9%, but the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission blocked the higher rate.

Allentown officials were working to hire an architect and engineer before a Dec. 31 deadline on federal pandemic-relief funding.

Organic whole and baby carrots linked to Grimmway Farms, including several brands available in stores throughout the Lehigh Valley, have been recalled due to concerns of E. coli.

Sophie Vandecasteele is hoping to open Sophistiqué before Thanksgiving, with a soft opening set for Friday, Nov. 22, at 924 Walnut St.

Crayola celebrated its 10th annual "64 Seconds of Color Shopping Spree," pairing three local children with Marines to spring the store and collect as much merchandise as they could carry, with the company providing matching contributions to local Toys for Tots programs.

Bethlehem Twp. will not appeal a ruling from a Northampton County judge that will allow an 866,000 square foot warehouse at 1600 Freemansburg Ave.

Plans call for a Tempo by Hilton hotel with a ground-level restaurant and bar, rooftop bar and expanded fitness center, with improvements to come later for the Greenway nearby.

The 2024-25 Pennsylvania State Budget introduced updates to the state's complex liquor laws, including extended happy hours and ready-to-drink cocktails. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board already received over a thousand RTDC applications and has begun permitting with the law effective Sept. 16.

Cut the Scrap! opened in June on North 19th Street in the West End of Allentown. Crafters can trade in secondhand art supplies, shop for goods or take an art class.

SpaceX’s capsule Polaris Dawn splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico in the predawn darkness early Sunday. Returning to Earth were two SpaceX engineers, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman of the Lehigh Valley. Isaacman became only the 264th person to perform a spacewalk.

Grand View Health signed a nonbinding letter of intent to evaluate the potential of it joining St. Luke's University Health Network. Letters to employees of both health care companies went out Friday to alert them of the potential partnership.

Mad Catter Coffee Roasters celebrated its grand opening at the Allentown Economic Development Corporation’s Bridgeworks Enterprise Center.

The Bethlehem City Planning Commission approved a 52,395-square-foot addition proposed for 2300 City Line Road, near the Airport Road intersection.

Upper Macungie Township held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday for a $47 million Lifestyle Community Center to be built at Grange Park.

Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 in Forks Township celebrated the grand opening of Colonial Cafe 71, a coffee shop which helps teach employment and life skills.

The Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market officially added The Brass Rail to its list of merchants Thursday morning — the first time the eatery has been in operation since it shuttered on Lehigh Street in June 2022.

A 4.62-acre mansion in Salisbury Township that took the community by storm when it burned years ago is now officially up for sale, by the township itself after obtaining ownership of it through a "generous" donation.