Lehigh County News

Silk Lehigh Valley has to move from its location in the Hamilton Business Center after Allentown inspectors deemed the building an "immediate risk to human life” earlier this month.

Monsignor John P. Murphy headed St. Thomas More Church in Allentown for more than 40 years. He died Friday at age 86, according to the Diocese of Allentown.

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.

The yet-to-be-named calf was born Aug. 4 and is the tenth oryx calf born at the zoo since 2014.

John Kalynych, 50, was Lehigh County's former director of emergency management. He served with several volunteer fire departments in the Lehigh Valley and was known for his training and expertise.

A meeting to hear Lehigh Valley residents' concerns about broadband internet access will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Fowler Center at Northampton County Community College in Bethlehem.The meeting is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority which is developing plans to minimize the digital divide, supplying broadband service to unserved and underserved areas,

The airport will get $940,000 from the state to update facilities in the Multimodal Transportation Center and airport terminal.

Allentown has a new training center for firefighters and its first-ever emergency operations center. The building was dedicated to Christopher Kiskeravage, the department’s retired assistant chief for training and South Whitehall’s fire commissioner.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said Dominick Hogans ran from police and then shot at them July 24, 2023. Officers were within their rights when they returned fire, fatally shooting him nine times, Martin said.

Conservative voters walked away impressed with Vivek Ramaswamy's performance in Wednesday's Republican presidential debate, but most still pined for former President Donald Trump.

A Lehigh County report found "systemic overdiagnosis" of medical child abuse, formerly known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. People came to the Lehigh County Commissioners meeting and said LVHN has falsely accused many of the disorder.

Valley Youth House's Camp Fowler may soon operate year-round with a new recreation center. North Whitehall planners reviewed a sketch plan for the building Tuesday.

Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's comprehensive planning committee approved a review of a planned welcome center on DeSales University's campus Tuesday afternoon.

Officials from the Borough of Macungie reviewed a presentation from the Lower Macungie Fire Department about what fire coverage would look like under the nearby company in response to concerns about their current coverage.

Alburtis residents have faced excess truck traffic and property damage after nearby warehouses were built. A new road extension may alleviate some of the issues.