County News

Northampton Area School Board directors twice failed to fill a vacancy. They have asked Northampton County Court to fill it for them, instead.

Essentially a scholastic scrimmage for environmental science, the annual Envirothon combines classroom learning and outdoor activities to engage students in the environment. The state competition was held Wednesday at Camp Mt. Luther in Mifflinburg.

County Executive Lamont McClure said the closings mark the end of a significant chapter in the county’s COVID-19 response. More than 3.5 million cases and 50,000 deaths in Pennsylvania have been attributed to COVID since 2020.

State revenue generated by Wind Creek Bethlehem and Mount Airy Casino will help Bangor renovate a fire hall, Lower Nazareth Township purchase a new police vehicle and improve seating at a Freemansburg amphitheater.

The Diocese of Allentown announced several moves among priests in its 78 parishes — part of an annual process led by an advisory board of priests and approved by Bishop Alfred Schlert.

Inspired by battery fires in the Lehigh Valley and across the state, the bill would put the onus on manufacturers to provide safe recycling options for lithium ion batteries, as well as launch an education campaign for residents.

Rose Josephine Hnath, 78, was found dead in her North Whitehall Township home in January 1989. She had been repeatedly stabbed and beaten, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild said plans to consolidate the Lehigh Valley's mail processing center appear to have been pushed back. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy backed off a controversial cost-savings effort after receiving pushback from a bipartisan contingent of the U.S. Senate.

In the April update for Lehigh Valley Breathes, a regionwide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing, officials explained new EPA soot standards and how they could impact the project.

The Democratic-controlled House passed legislation that would let counties get a head start counting mail-in ballots. But Senate Republicans are unlikely to pass it without an unlikely compromise on voter ID provisions.

The township election is on May 16. The candidates are hoping to make a splash with voters come Election Day.

The $25,000 fund, offered by Lehigh and Northampton counties, will be used to support the schools' Aevidum program.

Democrat Terry Houck is attempting to secure the Republican nomination for Northampton County district attorney with a write-in campaign. The effort is opposed by Northampton County Republican Committee Chair Glenn Geissinger.

There are seven candidates on the primary ballot for one open supervisor's seat in Palmer Township. Here's why candidates said they're running.

Politics reporter Tom Shortell sat down with WLVR's Brad Klein to discuss the upcoming May 16th primary election, including a few standout races.

The Northampton County DA's office announced Tuesday its most recent gun buyback brought in more than 200 guns, including a submachine gun.

The warning is expected to last until 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

In filings released Thursday, lawyers for the Saucon Valley School District defended the decision to bar an "after-school Satan club" from campus, and said the group can reapply after the district makes a few policy changes.

County Executive Lamont McClure told the council he would veto a 5-year extension for developer tax breaks in a portion of Upper Mt. Bethel Township if passed. On Tuesday, he followed through.

The offices that help Pennsylvanians keep their Medicaid benefits are facing persistent vacancies and a heavy workload. Advocates and staff fear people could lose coverage as a result.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo has three new African penguins, bringing its total colony to 14. As part of a species survival plan, zoo officials hope the birds will pair off a reproduce to bolster the endangered species.

The George Taylor House will be featured on an upcoming episode of "Ghost Hunters." Volunteers say paranormal events have become common at the Revolutionary War era property.