Lehigh County News

The tax and spending plan drew praise from Republicans for lowering taxes and funding border security, but Democrats condemned it for slashing Medicaid coverage and raising the deficit.

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.

The Upper Macungie Board of Supervisors hosted a badge pinning ceremony for two new township police officers.

Incumbents Maury G. Robert and Ron R. Beitler are joined on the ballot by challenger Gregory S. Chaputa, all noting land preservation and managing development as a priority.

The plan proposes five four-story apartment buildings with 310 units at the northeast corner of Crackersport Road and the northeast extension of I-476.

WLVR’s Brad Klein speaks with Environment & Science Reporter, Molly Bilinski about her work reporting on the Lehigh Gap Nature Center in Slatington.

The $25,000 fund, offered by Lehigh and Northampton counties, will be used to support the schools' Aevidum program.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in Emmitsburg, MD, annually recognizes firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

Parkland School District Superintendent Mark Madson presented different options to address student population growth at a town hall meeting.

The first of the movies will be 'Hotel Transylvania 3,' which will be shown at Laurys Firehouse Park on May 12 at around 8pm.

Borough council on Monday night heard a presentation on options to mitigate PFAS in its residential drinking supply. None of the proposals are cheap.

On July 1, the Girls on the Run Lehigh Valley and Pocono chapters will merge.

The candidates are incumbents Jacob Roth and Diane Kelly, Public Safety Commission member Chris Peischl, local business owner and former commissioner Ben Long and former commissioner Thomas Johns.

Upon arriving at Coca-Cola Park on Monday evening, Southern Lehigh and Salisbury were surprised to learn they'd be playing their regularly scheduled game there as part of the IronPigs' annual Little League Takeover event.