Lehigh County News

About 150 people are expected to gather at Covered Bridge Park in South Whitehall Township early Sunday morning for the Lehigh Valley groundhog lodge's annual celebration.

For the first time ever, Pennsylvania will return unclaimed property automatically, without requiring forms or other red tape. 8,000 Pennsylvanians will receive letters this week, with checks following in 45 days.

The Trump administration directive, rescinded Wednesday, could have put tens of millions of dollars at risk across the Lehigh Valley, speakers said Friday outside the Lehigh County Government Center.

Democrat Geoff Brace, who represents the county’s 4th District, announced his plans to seek another term.

Led by Executive Producer Brittany Sweeney, the one-hour special focuses on homelessness in the Lehigh Valley, the work around it and the search for solutions.

The victim in Tuesday's crash on Route 100 was identified Thursday as Krishan Kumar of Upper Macungie. He was a passenger in a car that collided with a tractor trailer in the area of Route 100 and Schaefer Run Road.

The results of the 2023 citywide greenhouse gas inventory are in. The project was part of Penn State’s Local Climate Action Program.

Lehigh Valley lawmakers have continued to raise concerns about traffic safety in the area. On Tuesday, Sen. Jarrett Coleman announced that PennDOT would designate Route 22 a safety corridor, which should be a step toward traffic safety, a PennDOT representative said.

Brenda Rodriguez, 51, of Palmerton is charged with criminal solicitation/criminal homicide and conspiracy-aggravated assault in the shooting death of her husband, Hector Manuel Garcia Gomez, 46, of Palmerton on Dec. 7.

Continued economic growth for the Lehigh Valley was predicted during at “Sizing Up 2025: Lehigh Valley Economic Outlook” at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks on Tuesday. The event, presented by Truist and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, featured speakers who shared a positive economic picture of the Lehigh Valley and the nation.

The monthly report from the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors shows home sales down 32 percent in September from September 2022. Low inventory and higher mortgage rates are to blame, officials say.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's “PA Pumpkin Palooza: Where Gourds Go Glam” contest has been extended to Oct. 23. Winners will be announced on Halloween.

Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong proposed his $520 million spending plan in August, and commissioners appear ready to approve it without major changes.

Incumbent Daniel Buglio is pitting his quarter-century of work across various roles in the office against Dr. Joseph Zitarelli, who says a “medical expert” should hold the position.

More than 1,336 acres across the commonwealth were preserved. Here are the Lehigh Valley farms now safe from development.

A seat on the Upper Macungie Township Board of Supervisors is up for election on Nov. 7. The candidates are Democrat Jeff Fleischaker, an attorney, and Republican Greg Wheeler, an emergency medicine doctor.

Barktoberfest at Grange Park will be held this Sunday after the forecast predicted rain all afternoon Saturday.

An incorrect set of instructions was included with mail-in and absentee ballots mailed to Lehigh County voters on Oct. 9. The error with the first ballot mailing has been corrected for subsequent mailings.

The Upper Macungie Planning Commission will discuss a plan for a manufacturing facility at 110 PA Route 100. A 150,000-square-foot warehouse has been proposed at the same site.

Western Lehigh Services, a commercial landscaping and snow management firm, is planning expansion into a new location in Lower Macungie Township.

A proposal for a 150,000-square-foot warehouse may move forward in a compromise between Upper Macungie Township, warehouse developer Prologis and nearby hotel Fairfield Inn & Suites.

PennEnvironment released data showing Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom when it comes to the growth of wind energy, solar power, energy storage and other renewable energy metrics over the last decade.