Business News

The Small Business Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce recognized local businesses with Excellence in Business Awards on Wednesday at Northampton Country Club.

Few, if any, bridges in Pennsylvania insulate the steel beams in their decks, PennDOT Deputy Secretary Mike Rebert said Wednesday. High-intensity fires capable of destabilizing those bridges are rare, but do happen.

Democrats in Pennsylvania are optimistic that Republicans will finally agree to raise the state's minimum wage after years of debate. A Republican member of the state Senate's leadership team is leading a bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, providing hope for a resolution, although challenges remain in the GOP-controlled state Senate.

Cold Nose Lodge, which opened in October 2008, is expanding its location in Alburtis. They'll hold a groundbreaking party on June 26 at the facility.

The Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission recommended approval for the nearly 59-acre Lehigh Valley Town Center project, including its TopGolf component. Township commissioners could give the green light at their July meeting.

The Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors reported home sales dropped 22% in May — normally a busy season. Increased interest rates and tight inventory in Lehigh and Northampton counties were driving the figures, according to GLVR.

A developer is seeking approval for an 868-unit self-storage facility on Hanover Avenue on Allentown's East Side, but the official notice for a zoning hearing advertised 749 units.

The Lehigh County District Attorney's office brought a successful lawsuit against Lowhill Township, arguing they unlawfully appointed supervisor Curtis Dietrich.

The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley raised a record $22.6 million in the campaign that ended earlier this year. It supports programs and agencies in Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties.

The Macungie Diner will be opening Monday, according to a message from its Facebook page

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.

Early Tuesday, Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who has a home in the Lehigh Valley, launched into space for a second time as part of a mission dubbed Polaris Dawn. The launch was visible in the area.