Lehigh County News

Parkland School Board approved its final budget Tuesday, which will take the millage rate from 16.30 mills to 17.12 mills, a 5% increase. The average resident will pay about $200 more in school property taxes next year.

A continuance was granted for the sixth time this year to Paxos Group real estate company for a hearing before the Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board on charges it has violated a zoning ordinance prohibiting the renting or leasing of condominiums as apartments on Arey Lane.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, is slated to appear at Saturday's Rally the Valley for Women's Choice in Bethlehem. It's part of a five-day campaign tour the three-term incumbent is launching this week in his race against Republican challenger David McCormick.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's General Duty Clause essentially says employees are entitled to a safe and healthy workplace. In some cases, that applies to workers that can endure excessive heat, like during a heat advisory.

The Parkland School Board on Tuesday accepted district Director of Performing Arts Frank Anonia’s resignation, effective Friday, June 21. Anonia recently was the subject of an internal investigation.

Over the last three decades, more than 400 farms have been preserved in Lehigh County. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

Grant applications for the Municipal Opportunities for Retrofits and Energy Efficiency, or MORE, Program are open. Loans are also available through a Lehigh Valley lender.

Borough council debated the merits of a LERTA plan for the construction of apartments on 300 Furnace Street, a long-vacant former industrial site

Parkland School Board on Tuesday will vote on whether to accept district Director of Performing Arts Frank Anonia’s resignation, effective June 21, according to the meeting’s agenda.

Lowhill Township lost an appeal to a deemed approval for a warehouse plan on Betz Court. But about a week earlier, the state DEP preliminarily denied a permit for that same warehouse plan.

Groundbreaking for a 72-unit apartment expansion was held at Fellowship Community senior independent living in Whitehall Township on Friday.

At a Lehigh Valley town hall, Elizabeth DeJesus recounted her husband’s ICE detainment as experts explained immigrant rights, enforcement limits, and how the community can help through the ERN network.

South Whitehall Township Planning Commission reviewed a plan for an Islamic Center along Ridgeview Drive. Members raised concerns about traffic and recommended a study.

The media center replaced the school's old library, which students said they didn't use. The new space has modern books and makerspaces for art and science projects.

Millions of Americans will see their health premiums double if Congress doesn't extend tax credits for the Affordable Care Act beyond Dec. 31. U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, attached his name to last-ditch efforts to preserve the tax credits.

Two North Whitehall Township supervisors on Wednesday rejected a challenge to township zoning rules surrounding at-home auto repair businesses. It's far from the end of a legal fight over whether township resident Gene Weierbach's business should be allowed to operate.

LGNC’s annual autumn Bake Oven Knob Hawk Watch ended late last month. The overall count was more than double last year’s total, and records were set for bald eagles and turkey vultures spotted from the lookout.

Community Bike Works in Easton is celebrating the 30th year of its Earn a Bike program. Low-income families from the Lehigh Valley can become eligible to get a bike by signing up online or in person for the 24-hour mentoring program.

Prosecutors finally shared details of the charges with some defendants after three-and-a-half months, but a court order bars them from disclosing any of the information publicly.

The AP said Vance’s remarks will focus on the economy and aim to assure voters that the administration is working to address inflation, according to his office.

“These scammers have well-rehearsed scripts and are readily prepared to convincingly answer any question posed to them," Lehigh County Sheriff Joe Hanna said.

Lehigh Valley residents attended a state Public Utility Commission hearing on Tuesday to oppose a proposed rate increase by PPL Electric Utilities. It would be the first rate increase in almost a decade.