Lehigh County News

In a move that Santander Bank said aligns with the financial institution's digital shift nationwide, seven Lehigh Valley branches will be sold to Community Bank. Branches will remain open and employees will be offered continued employment during the transition, which is expected to complete by the end of the year,

South Whitehall Township's board of commissioners voted Wednesday to purchase upgraded radios for first responders in the township through a five-year payment plan provided by Lehigh County.

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.

Allentown City Council formally thanked and recognized the emergency workers involved in the trench collapse rescue on January 11

Allentown police say Dieruff High School was locked down after they received information that a student brought the gun inside the school Wednesday.

DeSales University Homeland Security majors received first-hand knowledge of the challenges and requirements of the job at the third annual DeSales University Center for Homeland Security Conference on Wednesday.

The witnesses spoke about the operations of recovery houses and the proximity to the elementary school.

Chris Herren will speak to students during the school day then host a free presentation for families at 6:30 p.m. Thursday

Faith leaders in Allentown held a service Sunday night remembering Nichols and lamenting the forces that ended his life.

The hotel used to be called the Holiday Inn Conference Center, but it has been completely renovated and rebranded.

North Whitehall residents want to reduce commercial and warehouse development, keep taxes low and preserve the rural character of the township. But is that what the future will hold?

The changes were previously criticized by one board member as 'hippy-dippy, woke stuff.' On Thursday night, they passed unanimously.

Nineteen of the club's 24 members are visually impaired, but that is not stopping them from striving to be "as vibrant as any club" of the international service organization.

Lehigh County has laid out a budget plan for the $17.5 million received through lawsuits with opioid manufacturers

Lehigh Valley Health Network establishes a new partnership with a clinic offering resources to those with Down syndrome. The partnership is expected to add more variety to the care the patients receive.