Lehigh County News

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday for Iron Menace, the Northeast's first-ever "dive" roller coaster that features a 95-degree, 152-foot drop.

Construction of a new Taco Bell was approved by the Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board on Tuesday night. The board also approved a zoning variance request, a zoning exemption, and tabled a discussion until May.

Skill games — those machines that look like slot machines in convenience stores and taverns across Pennsylvania — are a potential public safety threat because they deal in cash in places that generally have little or no security procedures in place, according to the state district attorneys association.

Incumbent Rep. Zachary Mako and Slatington Borough Councilman Zachari Halkias are each looking to win the Republican primary and face Democrat Joseph Lenzi in the November general election for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild leads the pack in spending. And along with Republicans Kevin Dellicker, Ryan Mackenzie and Maria Montero, the four have spent more than $660,000 through the first three months of 2024 in their efforts to win Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District seat.

Philadelphia Eagles Safety Reed Blankenship will visit the park as part of its Iron Menace Ride for a Cause event this Friday, which benefits the Eagles Autism Foundation.

Bethlehem native Glen Larimer has authored a book to honor his late father — local sports journalist Terry Larimer.

From April 20 through April 28, residents are invited to join or host a cleanup along a section of the D&L Trail as part of a trash collection competition. Winners will be announced May 3.

Christian Joel Gonzalez Santiago, 29, last month pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree misdemeanor, in the July 31, 2022, crash on MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township.

A $1 million state grant funded Bethlehem Area School Board's purchase of the buses as well as the related infrastructure and job training to implement the changes.

Dieruff High School junior Faith Gross competed against other aspiring actors at talent auditions in Orlando. Gross said she got three callbacks, including from a music producer.

Upper Macungie Township officials answered questions about the approval process of the warehouses on Air Products' land and the plan's design.

The entire Lehigh Valley will remain under a flood watch through Sunday after another round of severe storms hammered the region. Tonight's Heritage Day fireworks show in Easton is postponed again, the city announced. Bushkill Park in Forks Township and parts of the Slate Belt were flooded.

The disease, a relatively new and deadly threat to the American beech, has few treatment options and no known cure.

A couple of factors play into the slumping local market.

Lowhill Township supervisors denied a final plan for a warehouse owned by Core5 Industrial Partners, which is already in litigation with the township.

The Community and The Arts Clean Up aims to combine community service and engagement through a tournament-style competition – with prizes for the team that fills the most trash bags – followed by a gathering with live music and food.

Firefighters, friends and family gathered Wednesday to pay respects to longtime Allentown firefighter Chris Kiskeravage.

The new service, run by Landline and American Airlines, connects typical airport gates in Allentown with gates in Philadelphia, like any regional jet.

Three new pickleball courts were recently installed at Laurys Firehouse Park in North Whitehall Township. The township Recreation Department is offering lessons there.

Upper Macungie Township will host a workshop for residents to give feedback on land-use law revisions. It will be held on July 25 from 6pm to 8pm in the municipal building.

Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, announced Tuesday she's raised more than $600,000 toward her re-election in the last three months. The race for PA-7 may be among the most hotly contested in the country next year.