Lehigh County News

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, has organized a food drive while pinning the ongoing government shutdown on Senate Democrats. SNAP benefits that help feed millions of low-income Americans are hours away from expiring.

The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation have launched a $500,000 fundraising campaign to strengthen food access and deliver rapid relief to families in need.

In the Lehigh Valley, 105,000 people rely on SNAP benefits for food assistance. One in four of them is a child. When federal safety nets falter, the charitable food network becomes the community’s last line of defense. It requires collaboration, leadership and shared purpose.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has filed an emergency motion in Lehigh County Court requesting that a judge unseal documents in at least 22 criminal cases tied to an interstate drug ring. Among the defendants is Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi.

Ahead of Election Day, Political Pulse host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick break down what to expect, including the races to keep an eye on.

A proper complement of 31 personnel each shift and at least one new fire station are needed given current on-the-job conditions and an increase in service demand, according to new staffing-study data from International Association of Fire Fighters Local 735.

Renter mobility — or those moving place to place — dropped by 23.2% between 2018 and 2023, putting the Lehigh Valley at No. 104 out of 105 of America’s Move-Easy Hotspots.

On average, each commuter in the Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton area lost 36 hours to gridlock in 2024 and burned 12 gallons of fuel idling on congested roads, according to the 2025 Urban Mobility Report.

At a workshop meeting Monday, Lower Macungie officials reviewed plans for a commercial development along Route 100, including the region's first Sprouts Farmers Market.

State Rep. Josh Siegel has raised more than $447,000 toward his Lehigh County executive campaign since March — just short of the record Don Cunningham set in 2005. Siegel, a Democrat, has outspent Republican Roger MacLean by a nearly 10-to-1 margin this election cycle.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild had 10 times as much cash on hand as Republican challenger Ryan Mackenzie as of June 30, campaign finance reports show.

A home on Spring Street in West Bethlehem could be up for demolition to make room for senior living units. The Diocese of Allentown owns the property and could replace it with a four-unit, 4,100-square-foot complex.

South Whitehall Township commissioners discussed new rules for Covered Bridge Park following reports of “unsafe and unnecessary practices” in the park.

Lehigh Carbon Community College might end its intercollegiate athletics program as soon as this year if it can't find an athletic trainer before the 2024-25 academic year begins. That could change, but nothing is official yet.

The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study recommended the second phase of studies to restore passenger rail to the region as some major logistic concerns remain about the process.

Mosquitos carrying West Nile virus were recorded within city limits. Here's where officials are spraying Wednesday.

Applications for a seat on the council, launched in 2022 and aimed at growing public participation, are being accepted through the end of the month. Here's how to apply.

Parkland School District is set to receive a large boost in funding in Pennsylvania’s new budget — $2.4 million to be exact.

Thousands of Lehigh Valley residents had power cut at the height of the string of storms to batter the area Tuesday. Another round could be on the way Wednesday, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Pennsylvania's new $47.6 billion budget sets aside $500 million to improve old industrial sites so new businesses can expand or relocate to the properties.

The executive board of the International City/County Management Association at its June 21 meeting publicly censured former Fountain Hill Borough Manager Eric Gratz and permanently barred him from ICMA membership.

Emmaus Borough Council continues to mull giving tax assistance to plans for a large apartment complex on condemned, environmentally hazardous former industrial land that has gone unused for nearly 30 years.