Lehigh County News

The wife and sons of the late and former Allentown Fire Dept. Fire Marshal Jeffrey Tomczak had the remainder of their home mortgage paid off last week by a national organization that advocates for first responders and military veterans. Tomczak died in July from service-related cancer at age 44.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer came to Allentown in support of 7th Congressional District candidate Ryan Mackenzie Saturday during a last push for Republican support in Pennsylvania.

State environmental officials are calling on residents to nominate their favorite waterway to be 2025 River of the Year. The effort aims to elevate public awareness of specific rivers and recognize important conservation needs and achievements.

Windows are boarded up at 143 W. Broad St. after a fire in August.

Healey, the first lesbian to openly serve as an American governor, visited the campaign office on Hamilton Street. She was in town for a large rally of public sector unions Friday evening on behalf of U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley.

The community center gazebo is hoped to be a place for local veterans to feel recognized, as well as to relax and reflect

Lehigh County Clerk of Elections Tim Benyo said his office contacted law enforcement after determining an organization turned in hundreds of faulty voter registration applications.

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign is making a final push to rally supporters and win votes in Allentown after former President Donald Trump rolled through the city this week.

Lehigh and Northampton counties are in a drought watch due to persistently dry weather. The Lehigh County Authority is asking residents to start conserving.

The "political convoy" is scheduled to occur Sunday afternoon starting at Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays in North Whitehall Township and head south toward the Allentown area before heading back to the target-shooting facility.

Legislators worked to establish penalties for xylazine use and trafficking in an attempt to lessen its presence in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. Some say doing so made way for a new, unclassified veterinary tranquilizer to take its place — medetomidine.

The tax and spending plan drew praise from Republicans for lowering taxes and funding border security, but Democrats condemned it for slashing Medicaid coverage and raising the deficit.

In a move that Santander Bank said aligns with the financial institution's digital shift nationwide, seven Lehigh Valley branches will be sold to Community Bank. Branches will remain open and employees will be offered continued employment during the transition, which is expected to complete by the end of the year,

South Whitehall Township's board of commissioners voted Wednesday to purchase upgraded radios for first responders in the township through a five-year payment plan provided by Lehigh County.

Nearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market.

Allentown's Redevelopment Authority is applying for up to $2.5 million that could be used to rehab 10 single-family homes for low-income residents.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

Newhard Farms Corn Shed opened Tuesday for sweet corn sales. While it opened a few days later than in recent years, there's expected to be a good supply this season.

The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Known as "tranq" on the streets, an animal tranquilizer named xylazine infiltrated drug supplies throughout Pennsylvania since 2019. Its presence in the Lehigh Valley has grown, with deadly consequences.