Lehigh County News

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.

The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study is revising its regional transportation plan for Lehigh and Northampton counties and is seeking public input.

Candidate for South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners Ben Long wants to work with developers to make their plans into the best possible development for the township rather than trying to stop them.

The North Whitehall Planning Commission tabled one waiver for the Strawberry Acres 55-plus residential development plan and recommended denial for another.

Patient advocates protested Wednesday outside Lehigh Valley Health Network's Cedar Crest Campus.

Rep. Susan Wild will host a webinar Friday, March 10 with groups across District 7 about how to apply for grants under the Community Project Funding program.

A Dominican woman who is undocumented faces medical deportation in the Lehigh Valley. She was placed in a medically-induced coma after a procedure for an aneurysm. Now her family is fighting to keep her in the Allentown area.

Local state lawmakers are reacting to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s call for $1 billion in new public education spending for the state’s students and schools.

Candidates filed petitions ahead of Tuesday's deadline to appear on primary ballots in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

The first of the five championship events at Saucon Valley will be the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur, followed by the 2032 U.S. Senior Open, 2038 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 2042 U.S. Senior Open, and the 2051 U.S. Amateur. The U.S. Women's Amateur event will be a first for the club.

Michael Blichar Jr. will run as a Democrat in this year's race for at-large Lehigh County commissioner seats.

North Whitehall supervisors on Monday approved the proposed design of a renovation to the township municipal building that now is expected to cost more than $5 million.

Chris Pirrotta, a father of three children who attend Parkland schools, announced his campaign for a seat on the Parkland School Board.