Lehigh County News

PennDOT officials say complaints about roadside trash peak in early spring when snow melts, revealing months of litter build-up. State officials estimate there are 500 million pieces of rubbish on Pennsylvania roads — about a third of which are cigarette butts.

Lehigh Valley Public Media comprises LehighValleyNews.com, PBS39 and 91.3 WLVR. Debates to be held in advance of the May 20 primary election include Allentown mayor, Bethlehem mayor, Northampton County executive and Lehigh County executive.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport knew a former police officer was the subject of an internal investigation at his former job but hired him anyway, according to details released this week by Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is looking into the matter.

The Downtown Allentown Market "did not meet our long-term expectations," a City Center executive said.

Mack Trucks will display a 100-year-old Mack AB model tractor manufactured in Allentown at the 125th New York International Auto Show April 18-27.

'A Community Conversation: The Road Ahead' will feature several guests discussing Lehigh Valley traffic and transportation issues. It will start at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at the Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last week launched the Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction grant program. Aimed at schools and childcare facilities, the program is focused on testing for, and remediating, lead in drinking water.

Lehigh Valley business experts said it's too soon to determine how President Donald Trump's across-the-board tariffs of 10% or more will affect the economy but acknowledged that stakes are high.

Miller-Keystone Blood Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to introduce its newest bloodmobile, Bloodhound I — among four new vehicles planned to be put into service over the next year.

“I want to warn everybody there are a lot of procrastinators out there, and our driver's license centers are having real serious issues with lines and people showing up before they even open,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said Tuesday.

The mayors of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton will participate in group bike rides for Lehigh Valley Bike to Work Week.

In its third year, Spring on the Farm is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The free event includes a seedling sale, as well as other local vendors.

A program that started at Easton's Nurture Nature Center to protect area watersheds has already garnered state recognition. Now it's expanding.

Lehigh Valley planners held a public meeting Thursday at Allentown’s Bucky Boyle Park, where residents raised some safety concerns about the project.

The four-year contract will raise salaries by nearly 4.7% in the 2023-24 school year, with additional increase each subsequent year. The school board ratified a new contract with the teacher's union, the Allentown Education Association, on Thursday night.

Lehigh Valley high school students had the opportunity to see firsthand what it's like to be a nurse. A nursing simulation was held during National Nurses Week.

The EPA on Thursday announced a new proposal that would set new guidelines for power plants, requiring “ambitious reductions” in carbon pollution. A Pennsylvania environmental group calls the move a "big step in the right direction.”

A plan two years in the making is proving to be successful in Allentown. Nurses for the city and the district worked together to make sure students are safe from preventable disease.

Candidates have formed two groups: one made up of mostly incumbents, and the other made up of Republican challengers. Transparency, spending and projected overcrowding in the district's middle and high schools have become key issues in the race.

Democrats in Lehigh and Northampton counties requested three times more mail-in ballots than their Republican neighbors for next week's primary election.

The budget includes a 2.5% increase to the millage rate, the biggest increase in seven years. The district would still have the lowest millage rate in Lehigh County.

The city's parking authority earned the 2023 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its Park Green program, a sustainability initiative.