Lehigh County News

Sketch plans for an athletic complex for Allentown Central Catholic High School were reviewed by the Whitehall Township Planning Commission on Wednesday night.

Applications are open for the second Good Farmer Award U.S. Officials are looking for farmers with less than 10 years of experience who exemplify sustainable farming practices while contributing to community and environmental health.

Lehigh County executive candidates Josh Siegel and Roger MacLean met in a debate Wednesday night hosted by Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem. Siegel argued the next executive needs to have big plans for the office, where MacLean positioned himself as offering more stability.

Plans for a 190,400-square-foot distribution facility along Main Street received unanimous conditional final approval from the Whitehall Township Planning Commission on Wednesday night.

Republican Roger MacLean and Democrat Josh Siegel are vying for a four-year term as Lehigh County executive. The winner in the Nov. 4 election will succeed Democrat Phil Armstrong, who cannot run again because of term limits.

Authorities allege Adam Makowka, 28, of South Whitehall Township, fatally shot Jereka Battle in her Allentown apartment in July.

A crop farm in Lehigh County was included in the latest round of Pennsylvania's Farmland Preservation Program. Twenty-three other farms across the state were also preserved.

Operations at Lehigh Valley International Airport have not suffered from the government shutdown to date, according to Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority officials. However, an increase in air traffic controllers calling out sick during the last shutdown spurred a deal in 2019.

In its 10th year, and led by the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, the conference theme was “Back to Basics,” and drew a sold-out crowd with about 180 people, including professionals and volunteers.

School Director Emily Gehman said Southern Lehigh has a pattern of pay disparities between female employees and their male colleagues.

For the second time this week, a motorcyclist has died after colliding with a deer in Lehigh County, state police say.

Three proposed warehouse projects are on hold in Lowhill Township, the board of supervisors said at a meeting on Tuesday night. Two of the projects are in litigation; the third will be discussed at a hearing before the supervisors in November.

The regional wastewater plan is still underway in Lehigh County, as the sewer authority deals with aging infrastructure. Five open houses have been scheduled to collect residents' feedback.

As special operations team coordinator for Lehigh County, Kevin Krotzer served as the lead instructor Tuesday for “Water Rescue for the First Responder,” an awareness-level program developed and certified through the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Mayor Matt Tuerk said he is preparing the city's 2025 budget without any hike in property taxes. Tuerk is expected to present his 2025 budget Oct. 10.

State police said it happened early Tuesday on Mountain Road in Washington Township, Lehigh County. The victim was a 64-year-old man who was operating a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission hosted a community forum on discrimination and other issues at the Allentown Public Library on Monday night.

A doggy day care in Alburtis made a donation to the ambulance corps to ensure the area's furry friends are okay in the face of a fire.

The state Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public hearing from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in Bethlehem to take public testimony about Keystone Cement Co.’s hazardous waste permit renewal application.

The American Association of University Professors is looking into allegations that Maura Finkelstein, a professor at Muhlenberg College, was terminated based on her views regarding Zionism and Palestine.

Earlier this month, the group announced its sixth Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Award, this one for construction-rehabilitation at the former Laros Silk Mill, now known as Laros Lofts, along the eastern end of Broad Street.

One of the Zoo's longest-tenured residents, the 20-year-old, 2,000-pound bison died Friday.