Lehigh County News

Lawmakers in Harrisburg passed nearly three dozen laws last week in a final burst of action as they held their last voting session of the year.

Silk Lehigh Valley has to move from its location in the Hamilton Business Center after Allentown inspectors deemed the building an "immediate risk to human life” earlier this month.

Monsignor John P. Murphy headed St. Thomas More Church in Allentown for more than 40 years. He died Friday at age 86, according to the Diocese of Allentown.

Lehigh County Courthouse is expected to reopen a week after fire sprinklers damaged the building's electrical system Tuesday night.

The South Whitehall Board of Commissioners is seeking applications to fill a vacant seat. The current commissioners will conduct public interviews with applicants at a special meeting on Dec. 28, then vote to appoint one of them.

The Upper Macungie Planning Commission reviewed a sketch plan for renovations and expansions to Trexler Travel Center on 5829 Tilghman St.

It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.

The new position will appear on the ballot in 2025. The Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas had one of the higher caseloads for counties of its size.

Officials on Wednesday reviewed several preliminary transportation policy strategies for the Valley's priority climate action plan. The plan’s focus is to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, a significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions across the region.

More than three dozen projects in the Valley were awarded grants, receiving about 7% of the total funding awarded. Statewide, $335 million in grants were announced Wednesday.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation encourages Whitehall Township residents to review virtual plans for the replacement of the Fifth Street Bridge over Route 22.

A handful of organic farms across the Lehigh Valley are welcoming residents and visitors this weekend to help their own gardens get growing.

The PennDOT Workers' Memorial honors the 90 employees who died while on the job since 1970. The memorial is displayed along North Cedar Crest Boulevard in Allentown Thursday through Friday.

Parkland School District is considering building a ‘Multipurpose Athletics and Wellness Complex’ just south of Parkland High School. The projected cost is $19 million.

State Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh/Northampton, sponsored the bill. Any money collected will go toward bald and golden eagle conservation efforts.

“The upward trajectory for the Lehigh Valley’s home prices signifies a robust market, reflective of strong demand – but limited inventory,” GLVR President Lori Campbell said.

In the April update for Lehigh Valley Breathes, a regionwide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing, officials explained new EPA soot standards and how they could impact the project.

The Lehigh Gap Nature Center took to social media Monday to alert visitors and hikers to "use caution" with pets after dog treats were found with fish hooks planted inside them.

The Democratic-controlled House passed legislation that would let counties get a head start counting mail-in ballots. But Senate Republicans are unlikely to pass it without an unlikely compromise on voter ID provisions.

One of the only two remaining B-29 Superfortress bombers still airworthy today is about to land in the Lehigh Valley. It will touch down at the airport on Monday to prepare for ground and cockpit tours, as well as flight experience rides.

Lehigh Valley Beer Week kicked off this weekend, celebrating more than just the beverage used in its name. Festivities will continue through May 11.

After a lengthy battle with a local zoning office, neonatal kitten rescue Foxy's Cradle has found a new way to continue their mission to save young felines: a mobile kitten unit, which was unveiled at a Slatington fire rescue on Sunday, May 5.