Lehigh County News

There are 51 stops on this year’s trail. In its eighth year, the trail is focused on celebrating local creameries across the state while driving business during the summer months.

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.

Parkland School Board on Tuesday will vote on whether to accept district Director of Performing Arts Frank Anonia’s resignation, effective June 21, according to the meeting’s agenda.

Lowhill Township lost an appeal to a deemed approval for a warehouse plan on Betz Court. But about a week earlier, the state DEP preliminarily denied a permit for that same warehouse plan.

PennDOT announced its list of upcoming seasonal driver license, photo and other service centers, as well as road trip tips and travel construction delays.

The Lehigh County funded Mid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Services, or MARS, opened a new substance abuse-related treatment center in Allentown on Friday.The FORT program (Families Obtaining Recovery Together) will join the slate of treatment options offered, making this groundbreaking program available to more Lehigh County residents free of charge.

Three farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in the state’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

South Whitehall Planning Commission recommended final approval for Phase 1C of Ridge Farms, a development that would include housing, shops and outdoor eateries.

On Sunday morning, the Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ in Allentown will hold its reopening worship service for the first time since it closed in 2022.

The huge project came before the township again, this time for updates related to road usage.

The mural, by artist Mercedes Salazar, is a collaboration with Lehigh Valley Arts & Cultural Alliance, Community Action of Development of Allentown, The Chamber Foundation and Allentown Mural Arts.

Senate Republicans blocked a vote on a bill that would guarantee access to assisted reproductive technology. The effort came a day after Democrats blocked a Republican effort to penalize states that attempt to ban invitro fertilization treatments.

Allentown police Sgt. Chris Hendricks has worked for years to equip Allentown police vehicles with defibrillators. That work changed his life when he suffered sudden cardiac arrest June 10 during a chase.

Members of Teamsters Local 773 remain on the picket line outside Gardner Cryogenics facilities in the Lehigh Valley as they demand more affordable health care.