Lehigh County News

The state Department of Environmental Protection announced $980,000 in grants to promote environmental education and stewardship across the state. Two Lehigh Valley programs received pieces of funding.

The Allentown Parknership made its debut Wednesday at Arts Park. The new nonprofit was funded by a $500,000 gift from the Harry C. Trexler Trust.

State revenue generated by Wind Creek Bethlehem and Mount Airy Casino will help Bangor renovate a fire hall, Lower Nazareth Township purchase a new police vehicle and improve seating at a Freemansburg amphitheater.

In 90 seconds, flames will burn straight through an aircraft, members of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority (LNAA) Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) Division said Tuesday as they hosted a Live Fire Mobile Simulator and training exercise at Lehigh Valley International Airport.

A proposal to develop the old Dixie Cup factory in Wilson Borough into 405 apartments advanced after review by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's Comprehensive Planning Committee.

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., predicted Lehigh Valley congressional candidate Ryan Mackenzie would carry Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District as part of a wider Republican sweep of Congress and the White House in November.

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Republican congressional candidate Ryan Mackenzie will visit the Cetronia Ambulance Corps in South Whitehall Township on Tuesday.

The Diocese of Allentown announced several moves among priests in its 78 parishes — part of an annual process led by an advisory board of priests and approved by Bishop Alfred Schlert.

The popular B-29 Doc plane rides are returning in the Lehigh Valley for two more days this week, starting tomorrow.

Inspired by battery fires in the Lehigh Valley and across the state, the bill would put the onus on manufacturers to provide safe recycling options for lithium ion batteries, as well as launch an education campaign for residents.

There are 51 stops on this year’s trail. In its eighth year, the trail is focused on celebrating local creameries across the state while driving business during the summer months.

Legislators worked to establish penalties for xylazine use and trafficking in an attempt to lessen its presence in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. Some say doing so made way for a new, unclassified veterinary tranquilizer to take its place — medetomidine.

The tax and spending plan drew praise from Republicans for lowering taxes and funding border security, but Democrats condemned it for slashing Medicaid coverage and raising the deficit.

In a move that Santander Bank said aligns with the financial institution's digital shift nationwide, seven Lehigh Valley branches will be sold to Community Bank. Branches will remain open and employees will be offered continued employment during the transition, which is expected to complete by the end of the year,

South Whitehall Township's board of commissioners voted Wednesday to purchase upgraded radios for first responders in the township through a five-year payment plan provided by Lehigh County.

Nearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market.

Allentown's Redevelopment Authority is applying for up to $2.5 million that could be used to rehab 10 single-family homes for low-income residents.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

Newhard Farms Corn Shed opened Tuesday for sweet corn sales. While it opened a few days later than in recent years, there's expected to be a good supply this season.

The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.