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.

While the political news cycle can change on a dime, some clear stories appear in store for 2026, including the Lehigh Valley's congressional race.

For the first time, all three of the Lehigh Valley’s cities have a sustainability manager or coordinator, a role dedicated to sustainability initiatives and fighting the worsening impacts of climate change.

The rebate is meant to help seniors, widows and widowers and residents with disabilities who paid property taxes or rent in 2024.

Griddle 145, which since 2011 has operated on MacArthur Road, will close Wednesday, Dec. 31, the restaurant announced in a Facebook post today, Saturday, Dec. 27.

Gregg A. Henritzy was pronounced dead at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 25 in the emergency department at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.

Families of children who are patients at Lehigh Valley Health Network were treated to a toy giveaway on Tuesday morning.

Days before Christmas, the Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation teamed up with The Salvation Army and Ashley Furniture to help Allentown families recently displaced by fires. The effort provided beds, toys and essential items to children and parents.

Influenza cases are rising rapidly across the Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania, with local hospitals reporting a sharp uptick in patients and state data confirming sustained growth in flu activity.

While the penguins were taken off exhibit, barnyard birds and waterfowl at Lehigh Valley Zoo were shuffled to different enclosures so visitors could still view them.

Thousands were in the dark in Lehigh and Northampton counties as thunder rumbled and lighting flashed Friday afternoon in parts of the Lehigh Valley. Wind gusts reached more than 50 mph.

David J. Gibbs, 34, was killed and two others were hurt in a shooting early Friday morning inside Big Woody's Sports Bar and Restaurant on Allentown’s East Side, authorities said.

Lehigh County Commissioners voted Thursday to approve a new memorandum of understanding with United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1776. The union's members will get a 3% raise next year.