Lehigh County News

Construction of a new Taco Bell was approved by the Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board on Tuesday night. The board also approved a zoning variance request, a zoning exemption, and tabled a discussion until May.

Skill games — those machines that look like slot machines in convenience stores and taverns across Pennsylvania — are a potential public safety threat because they deal in cash in places that generally have little or no security procedures in place, according to the state district attorneys association.

Incumbent Rep. Zachary Mako and Slatington Borough Councilman Zachari Halkias are each looking to win the Republican primary and face Democrat Joseph Lenzi in the November general election for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild leads the pack in spending. And along with Republicans Kevin Dellicker, Ryan Mackenzie and Maria Montero, the four have spent more than $660,000 through the first three months of 2024 in their efforts to win Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District seat.

Philadelphia Eagles Safety Reed Blankenship will visit the park as part of its Iron Menace Ride for a Cause event this Friday, which benefits the Eagles Autism Foundation.

Bethlehem native Glen Larimer has authored a book to honor his late father — local sports journalist Terry Larimer.

From April 20 through April 28, residents are invited to join or host a cleanup along a section of the D&L Trail as part of a trash collection competition. Winners will be announced May 3.

Christian Joel Gonzalez Santiago, 29, last month pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree misdemeanor, in the July 31, 2022, crash on MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township.

A $1 million state grant funded Bethlehem Area School Board's purchase of the buses as well as the related infrastructure and job training to implement the changes.

The Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed for about six hours in both directions between the Lehigh Valley and Quakertown exits.

Billed as one of the country's largest antique and classic car shows, the festival is in its 61st season and will take place on Aug. 2-4 starting at 6 a.m. each day until 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Upper Macungie Board of Supervisors on Thursday awarded $38.5 million worth of bids to build the new community center. The total estimated cost is about $46 million.

The Lehigh County coroner says the average age of people dying from suicide is getting older. He says his office is tracking the data in an effort to provide more outreach efforts.

As part of a series of grants amounting to $30 million, the Lehigh Valley will see nearly $740,000 in funding for "Green Light-Go" improvement projects in Lehigh and Northampton Counties.

Many local police departments are participating in National Night Out, a nationwide initiative to bring cops and residents together.

Billed as one of the country's largest antique and classic car shows, the Das Awkscht Fescht is in its 61st season and will take place on Aug. 2-4 starting at 6 a.m. each day.

Kumari Ghafoor-Davis has served as an adjunct professor of sociology and social work for more than two decades.

Upper Macungie Township Police Sgt. Dathan Schlegel gave out 2,106 traffic citations in 2023, according to the Lehigh Valley DUI Highway Safety Taskforce.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is ramping up political spending in the region in its bid to help GOP challenger Ryan Mackenzie defeat U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley.

Various Berks and Lehigh County police departments will join together to conduct coordinated aggressive-driving enforcement activities along the Route 222 corridor, a release said.

An estimated $450,000 is needed for the next step in the process of studying passenger rail. While Lehigh County officials say they will pay half, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said he thinks other local agencies should foot the bill.

Officials are working to develop a comprehensive strategy to address a housing crisis, one that could deepen with Lehigh Valley the fastest-growing region in Pennsylvania.