County News

Lehigh County introduced new wide-ranging non-discrimination legislation for housing, education, health care and public accommodations establishing new protected classes not included in state law such as sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, age, weight, citizenship status and marital status. Legislators appeared supportive but indicated there would be likely amendments before passage

Lehigh County introduced a new agreement with the state Transportation Department to get released inmates official state IDs to reduce hardship when reentering society. The county is set to review the legislation for approval at the board's Nov. 8 meeting.

The officials announced a statewide drought watch this July. Here are the latest updates for Lehigh, Northampton and more.

More than a half-hour of passionate pleas didn't slow down Lehigh County commissioners as they signed off on Heather Reed's promotion to lead the Child and Youth Services department, which is mired in controversy.

The monthly report from the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors shows home sales down 32 percent in September from September 2022. Low inventory and higher mortgage rates are to blame, officials say.

Three ballot questions before Northampton County voters in November would place new caps on how many consecutive terms most county officials can serve.

Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong proposed his $520 million spending plan in August, and commissioners appear ready to approve it without major changes.

An incorrect set of instructions was included with mail-in and absentee ballots mailed to Lehigh County voters on Oct. 9. The error with the first ballot mailing has been corrected for subsequent mailings.

The most recent Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Long Range Transportation Plan lists more than $1.2 billion for LANTA over the next 25 years for fleet expansion and expenses. Changes already are underway

Open space usage and preservation, zoning and the environment are the major concerns of all three candidates in the race for two open seats on the Upper Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors.

A grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority, part of the state DCED, will facilitate the construction.

Plans for the River Pointe Logistics Industrial Park Development Project in Upper Mount Bethel Township are inconsistent with those of FutureLV, according to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.

Citing the financial concerns of taxpayers, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission member Richard D. Molchany suggests slowing down the Lehigh Valley Passenger Rail project.

The program will be operated by Mid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Services (MARS) and is paid for by lawsuits against opiate manufacturers.

This year's address focused on the success of the county's pandemic response, opposition to warehouse construction and plans for affordable housing projects.

The proposed River Point industrial park project for Upper Mount Bethel Township has residents questioning unanswered questions by Bethlehem developer Lou Pektor.

The development would consist of 96 units spread across two three-story buildings at 4406 Easton Ave. The developer has been working alongside township staff and other agencies to get conditional use approval.

House Republicans and President Joe Biden continue with negotiations over the debt ceiling, but regular Americans will suffer the consequences if a deal isn't reached by June 1.

Voter turnout was about 23.74% among Democrats and Republicans in Northampton County — only slightly better than Lehigh County’s 22.5% voter turnout rate.

Northampton County Council voted to eliminate 20 frontline jobs at the county's juvenile detention and treatment center, and create 13 new supervisor positions. A union for the detention center's workers argued the change is illegal.

The changes, introduced at a county council committee meeting Wednesday, would eliminate some youth care worker positions at the county's juvenile justice center, and create new assistant supervisor roles.

Six candidates were poised to move on to the general election for the Bangor Area School Board, eliminating half of the incumbents in the race.