Lehigh County News

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.

Residents gave feedback for the State Route 309 Roadway Betterment Project at a plans display Tuesday.

The final plan for Timberidge Luxury Apartments on Levans Road was approved by North Whitehall's Board of Supervisors Monday.

Residents of Afton Village in Center Valley spent Tuesday cleaning up after an intense storm rushed through parts of the Lehigh Valley on Monday evening. Most of the damage was limited to toppled trees. No injuries from the storm were reported.

Conditional-use approval is being requested for a 116-unit, age-restricted special care residential community on Rural Road in Whitehall Township. The 55-and-over community would consist of single-family attached and detached dwellings.

Residents near the area had been asked to shelter in place.

Some Lehigh Valley municipalities are dealing with a growing number of at-large, loose or abandoned animals. Salisbury Township is seeing a record-breaking year of dogs escaping from their homes.

WLVR’s Brad Klein speaks with Environment & Science Reporter, Molly Bilinski about the start later this month of the annual Bake Oven Knob Hawk Watch.

Maria Montero, an Easton resident, is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, the incumbent Democrat, in the Lehigh Valley's 2024 congressional race.

A wound care clinic, independent of the area hospitals, is now open in Salisbury Township. The office is staffed with physical therapists to treat a wide range of injuries.

Bill Bachenberg is accused in a $10 million lawsuit of hiring a cybersecurity company to analyze voting machines in Fulton County for voting irregularities but than stiffing it when it found no evidence of voter fraud.

Upper Macungie Police Department has a new K-9 named Nyala. She was introduced at the Board of Supervisors meeting Thursday.

Route 309's improvement plan will be displayed at the South Whitehall Township Municipal Building on Tuesday.