Lehigh County News

PennEnvironment's State of Renewable Energy 2025 ranks every state for the production of wind energy, solar power, energy storage and other metrics over the last decade, tracking growth.

Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong joins Tom Shortell on this week's episode of Political Pulse to explain how county government fills vital social service roles and what duties come with the county executive role.

Gemma, a fisher, has died, zoo officials announced Monday. She was an animal ambassador at the zoo for more than a decade.

Registered voters have until 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, to request a mail-in ballot for the May 20 primary election. In Lehigh and Northampton counties, the primary will be limited exclusively to registered Democrats and Republicans.

With passengers at Lehigh Valley International Airport and at other local airports, the compliance rate for REAL ID "has been extremely high," officials said. But for those without it, the phased enforcement "won't last forever."

State Sen. Lisa Boscola and and state Sen. Nick Miller, both Democrats, voted in favor of legislation that would prevent transgender athletes from competing in girls' sports. State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, also supported it.

Elijah Patterson, 19, of Allentown, was found guilty of first-degree murder and other charges after a three-day Lehigh County Jury trial in March.

Said Township Police Chief Frank Lombardo, “The decisions that I make, while for the organization, will always be guided by my time on the street, which brought every type of experience a police officer could have.”

Mike Welsh and Roger MacLean are seeking the Republican nomination for Lehigh County executive in the May 20 primary election. They debated Wednesday at the Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem.

Lehigh County Pension Board voted 4-2 to instruct its investment manager to immediately cease all new investments in Tesla. One county commissioner said Controller Mark Pinsley politicized the issue in an effort to grab headlines.

This week on Watching the Skies, WLVR's Brad Klein talks about Lehigh Valley entrepreneur Jared Isaacman's second bid to lead NASA.

The pickup truck lost control near 12th and Vultee streets in Allentown and hit a fire hydrant, utility pole and the Lehigh Valley Logistics building at 1801 S. 12th St., according to state police.

Nearly 800 students at Southern Lehigh's Joseph P. Liberati Intermediate School spent a week learning to write, address, and mail handwritten letters through the Dearist literacy program — sending holiday messages to local seniors, veterans and nonprofit groups.

"Too many families are discovering that their gift was emptied by a scammer before it was ever used. We should not allow criminals to take advantage of this season of generosity," State Sen. Lisa Boscola said.

The Whitehall-Coplay School District held its third annual Zephyr Holiday event at the Burlington store in Whitehall. Twenty-four elementary and middle school students from challenged families were given $200 gift cards to shop for holiday gifts for family members. Members of area law enforcement accompanied the children during the event.

The Lehigh Valley is projected to have significant increases in employment and population up to 2050.

The zoo held a ribbon-cutting at the Fred & Anne Jaindl Family Barnyard and St. Luke's Children's Hospital Playground Wednesday, marking the completion of phase one of its Children's Activity Area project. The two spaces now are officially open to the public.

Alfeni Romero-Tavares, 23, and Joel Garcia-Paulino, who turns 23 on Thursday, Dec. 4, both of Allentown, had preliminary hearings on felony counts of homicide and conspiracy to commit homicide and a misdemeanor charge of tampering with evidence.

The winners, a married couple from Berks County, have served as Berks County 4-H leaders for more than 30 years as well as helping with the Lehigh County 4-H Livestock Club.

In addition to board officer elections, four new school directors were sworn in Tuesday after having won their seats last month.

Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who now leads the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, is scheduled to speak Friday during the Lehigh Valley Healthcare Summit. Local transgender advocacy groups are urging officials to cancel it.

Whitehall Township's proposed budget includes the first real estate tax increase since 2019. Township commissioners are expected to vote on the spending plan next week.