Lehigh County News

Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong joins Tom Shortell on this week's episode of Political Pulse to explain how county government fills vital social service roles and what duties come with the county executive role.

Gemma, a fisher, has died, zoo officials announced Monday. She was an animal ambassador at the zoo for more than a decade.

Registered voters have until 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, to request a mail-in ballot for the May 20 primary election. In Lehigh and Northampton counties, the primary will be limited exclusively to registered Democrats and Republicans.

With passengers at Lehigh Valley International Airport and at other local airports, the compliance rate for REAL ID "has been extremely high," officials said. But for those without it, the phased enforcement "won't last forever."

State Sen. Lisa Boscola and and state Sen. Nick Miller, both Democrats, voted in favor of legislation that would prevent transgender athletes from competing in girls' sports. State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, also supported it.

Elijah Patterson, 19, of Allentown, was found guilty of first-degree murder and other charges after a three-day Lehigh County Jury trial in March.

Said Township Police Chief Frank Lombardo, “The decisions that I make, while for the organization, will always be guided by my time on the street, which brought every type of experience a police officer could have.”

Mike Welsh and Roger MacLean are seeking the Republican nomination for Lehigh County executive in the May 20 primary election. They debated Wednesday at the Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem.

Lehigh County Pension Board voted 4-2 to instruct its investment manager to immediately cease all new investments in Tesla. One county commissioner said Controller Mark Pinsley politicized the issue in an effort to grab headlines.

Even with several days of rain, the Lehigh Valley remains well below average in long term levels of precipitation. Here's how the rest of the month could shape up.

PennDOT is tackling 37 major projects worth more than $700 million in Berks, Carborn, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton and Schuylkill counties this year.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo has three new African penguins, bringing its total colony to 14. As part of a species survival plan, zoo officials hope the birds will pair off a reproduce to bolster the endangered species.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) held a news conference at Cedarbrook Senior Care & Rehabilitation on Friday to officially announce $525,000 in federal funding he secured for the nursing home's $67 million expansion project.

An investigation has not revealed any sexual contact had occurred between Eric Gratz and the victim. Gratz has served as borough manager since August 2021.

Three people were shot and killed in a span of seven hours between Thursday night and early Friday in Allentown. The mayor called gun violence "a toxin" in the city and pushed legislators to help get guns off the street.

A judge ruled Allentown City Councilwoman Candida Affa turned in enough signatures to make the Democratic ballot. Tina Jo Koren, a Republican candidate for Whitehall Township mayor, fought off an challenge to her statement of financial interests.

Developers are seeking support from Allentown to plug a funding gap for a 49-unit affordable housing project. The city is poised to allot more than $1.8 million in federal funding for the building.

The George Taylor House will be featured on an upcoming episode of "Ghost Hunters." Volunteers say paranormal events have become common at the Revolutionary War era property.

The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Jarrett Coleman.

A former pediatrician at Lehigh Valley Health Network's LVPG Pediatrics-Whitehall has been charged after sexual messages with a female minor in Washington Township, Warren County New Jersey

Gov. Josh Shapiro said he's long admired the Lehigh Valley's unique ability to build partnerships. It's a skillset he said he hopes to bring to other communities across the state to promote economic growth. Shapiro was keynote speaker at the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. annual meeting in Bethlehem.

Public Safety Commission member Chris Peischl is running for a seat on the Board of Commissioners. He has worked in Emergency Management Services for the past 30 years and has served in several positions in the Greenawalds Fire Company, including firefighter and assistant chief.