Business News

Esmirna Jiménez's work is an example of what culturally-competent tax services could look like for a segment of the population that isn’t often thought of when it comes to tax time.

Take a look at stories 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 chemical used to color some Peeps and other popular candies has been banned from makeup in the U.S., but not from food. Consumer groups say the chemical has been linked to cancer and other health problems.

The large Ridge Farms development was granted an extension for meeting compliances, longtime firefighters in the township were given recognition, and a new self storage facility was given the okay by the township near the Ridge Farms development site.

Lightning Source, LLC, a subsidiary of Ingram Content Group, gave notice of a series of layoffs for 260 people at its 860 Nestle Way, Breinigsville location.

The warehouse reignited early Thursday morning, calling firefighters back to the scene. It could be weeks before investigators determine the cause of the fire.

In past years, Peeps has held the title of No. 1 Easter candy in the country. This is no longer the case.

The Lehigh Valley Brewers Guild met at Lost Tavern Brewery on Tuesday to begin preparations for Lehigh Valley Beer Week on April 29-May 6.

The Pa. Chamber of Business and Industry had its own bracket: “Coolest Thing Made in Pa.”

Linnette Ruiz-Perez said she hopes to welcome her first customers to Eminence Luxury Beauty Studio in May.

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.

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.

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.

The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission on Thursday unanimously approved the sale of PPL Tower in Allentown to Wilkes-Barre-based D&D Realty Group. The sale comes more than four months after PPL Corp. announced that its subsidiary, PPL Electric Utilities, had reached a tentative $9 million agreement to sell the building to D&D Realty Group.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A $6.4 million mansion called Ravenwood Manor caught fire just a day after being sold. Three years later, the owners have donated it to the local government, reportedly as a sign of gratitude for local emergency responders.

Major renovations at Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehab, agricultural conservation and bridge maintenance are the major expenditures in Lehigh County’s five-year Capital Plan.