Lehigh County News

FirstEnergy sought to raise local customers' electric bills by more than 9%, but the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission blocked the higher rate.

The 35-year-old woman faces up to 5 to 20 years in prison in connection with the child's death in April 2021. Authorities said she left the boy in the care of his visibly intoxicated father after giving the man what she believed was heroin.

The bipartisan House Tourism & Economic & Recreational Development Committee spent three days in the Lehigh Valley this week. Part of the visit included a hearing with local organizers to discuss funding celebrations of America's 250th anniversary.

The Lehigh County Board of Elections voted 3-0 to certify 191,158 ballots Wednesday afternoon. Fights over how to count contested provisional ballots are already popping up in the neck-and-neck U.S. Senate race between Bob Casey and David McCormick.

A proposal to build a multi-story, 203,400-square-foot school in Allentown was advanced by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's comprehensive planning committee on Tuesday.

Cortex Residential is working toward a second affordable housing project in Allentown, with the developer confident of breaking ground on the first next year.

Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio says a new post-mortem CT scanner should be up and running in 4 to 8 weeks.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court order Monday is a win for David McCormick and a loss for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey as the campaigns prepare for a statewide recount and press counties for favorable ballot-counting decisions.

The Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association held the ApprenticeshipPA Collaborative and Expo at Wind Creek Event Center. The program is designed to give people paid on-the-job training and employment in lieu of needing a college degree.

The Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors said October data showed “a strong start to the fall selling season,” with new listings up 10.9 percent.

The rehab program, if completed succesfully by the accused person, could result in their charges being reduced or dropped before they even make it to court.

The center's annual Bake Oven Knob Autumn Hawk Watch begins in just over two weeks. Officials are hosting an informational Zoom session at 7 p.m. Aug. 9 to share the history of the count and volunteer opportunities, as well as how to count migrating raptors and some tips for identification.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Extending from Allentown to north of Coplay, the gap, made up of two main sections delineated by the Lehigh River, is expected to be closed in a little over a decade, officials said.

The major expansion at Lehigh Valley International Airport will allow more passengers to move more quickly through TSA security clearances. VIPs such as Gov. Josh Shapiro, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild were on hand to celebrate the project's completion.

The proposed 866,000-square-foot warehouse project in Bethlehem Township and Freemansburg is inconsistent with FutureLV, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission determined on Thursday night.

Amidst high temperatures and even higher heat indexes, it is important to know how to cool down and relieve heat stress. However, the Lehigh Valley is underprepared for these extreme temperatures, says an expert.

A statewide drought watch is still in effect, even amid rounds of severe rainstorms and flash flooding.

Officials from Lehigh and Northampton counties are slated to gather at 11 a.m. Aug. 2 at 100 W. Lehigh St. in Bethlehem for a news conference focused on the new project, “Lehigh Valley Breathes.”

Ryan Mackenzie, the longtime Lehigh County state representative, will need to emerge from a crowded Republican field to challenge U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, the three-term incumbent.

Upper Macungie Township has filed an application with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission for a zoning ordinance amendment for minimum lot requirements for distillery, microbrewery and winery use.

North Whitehall may get a new Wawa in Schnecksville. It would be part of the proposed King’s Route 309 Business Park.