Lehigh County News

A tax increase is needed, officials agree, but how it is to be implemented is yet to be seen

The development comes to Upper Milford as the East Penn area continues to grow in population

Mark Pinsley, who's in the first year of his second term as controller, faces Philadelphia state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

South Whitehall Township commissioners on Wednesday launched an executive search for a new chief for the South Whitehall Township Police Department.

Upper Macungie planners reviewed plans for two warehouse expansions Wednesday night before the plans end up in the hands of the Board of Supervisors.

Plans for a Taco Bell with a dual drive-thru in Whitehall Township were approved by the township's planning commission on Wednesday night.

EPA officials last week announced the first-ever national drinking water standard regulating per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are widespread, long-lasting in the environment and have been linked to long-term health issues.

More than 22 million American households use the Affordable Connectivity Act to pay for high-speed internet. But with funding running dry and Congress gridlocked, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild and other Democrats are considering an esoteric rule to force a vote.

Jorge Suarez-Santiago, 34, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Jayleen Rivas-Rodriguez, 35, of Allentown, have had warrants issued for their arrest, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said.

For every Republican voting by mail this April, there are 2.75 Democrats voting by mail, according to state data. Political observers believe it could give Democrats an advantage heading into the November election should the pattern hold.

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.

Known as "tranq" on the streets, an animal tranquilizer named xylazine infiltrated drug supplies throughout Pennsylvania since 2019. Its presence in the Lehigh Valley has grown, with deadly consequences.

WLVR's Brad Klein talks with Bethlehem's Backyard Astronomy Guy, Marty McGuire about planetary viewing in this week's Watching the Skies. Leading into the first week of July, viewers can snag a better view of the planet Mercury just after sunset.

The Clean Trucks PA Coalition report identified more than 600 schools, childcare centers, playgrounds and parks near major roadways and trucking corridors across the state.