Lehigh County News

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.

KidsPeace, which provides behavioral and mental health services to children, collected about 1,400 toys for its 12th annual Angel Tree holiday gift drive.

All but one township zoning amendment application were reviewed without issue by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Comprehensive Planning Committee on Tuesday afternoon.

If ultimately completed, the combined health care system would operate 30 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient sites, with more than 62,000 employees, according to LVHN and Jefferson Health.

Those hitting the public pools in Allentown should do so safety says the city’s special events coordinator. Officials there want pool patrons to keep a few things in mind this summer season.

IronPigs Charities presented a $7,800 check to the Emerald Playground Association to help subsidize cost of field upgrades and installation of lights to ballfields.

The second annual DeVonta Smith and Friends Celebrity Softball Game will be held at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday.

The resolution, passed 129-72, empowers the House Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to complete a study on the status, management and benefits of wildlife corridors across the state.

Upper Macungie supervisors adopted a Vision Zero Action Plan, which has the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities in the township.

The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority's Board of Governors approved terms for a 125-room hotel to be built on LVIA property.

The nonprofit Community Action Lehigh Valley has worked for about two years to buy Cleveland Elementary School so it can turn into space for area youth.

As Lehigh Valley residents treated themselves at the Easton Farmers Market Strawberry Day on Saturday, they also reached into their pockets to help less fortunate neighbors displaced by a Memorial Day row homes fire in Easton.

Take a look at stories throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

The authority was first established in 1986, but it had been defunct for about a decade until recently. The Iron Works Project in Catasauqua is its first order of business.

The Lehigh County Conservation District and Dieruff High School are partnering to transform a vacant courtyard at the school into an urban garden.

A local amputee support group continues to connect those who have lost a limb and raise money for other amputees. The Lehigh Valley Amputee Support Group held its 17th Annual Golf Tournament Friday.