Lehigh County News

Major renovations at Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehab, agricultural conservation and bridge maintenance are the major expenditures in Lehigh County’s five-year Capital Plan.

State education officials on on Monday visited Bethlehem Area Public Library’s South Side branch, 400 Webster St., to raise awareness about the Summer Food Service Program. Free, nutritious meals are available to those aged 18 and younger — no questions asked.

Dorney Park soon will host “Summer Nights,” an immersive Caribbean and Latin American celebration offering authentic food and entertainment.

Environmentalists say the Lehigh River is the cleanest its been in 175 years. A river snorkeling program at Lehigh Gap Nature Centers encourages residents to explore their local waterways and track river health.

Dozens of residents came out to support a private, publicly used recreation facility that was constructed without a permit and against zoning laws in Lower Macungie Township.

President Joe Biden nominated Montgomery County Judge Gail Weilheimer to a judicial vacancy in the U.S. District Court's Eastern District of Pennsylvania. U.S. Rep. Susan Wild said more attorneys from the Lehigh Valley ought to be considered for the postings.

Four or five cars on a 125-car train derailed while crossing a bridge over the Lehigh River under the Hill-to-Hill Bridge in Bethlehem Friday afternoon. Officials say no one was injured and the derailed cars were not carrying hazardous materials.

John Frederick Fifield, 21, pleaded guilty May 6 to charges in a 2021 crash of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence — both felonies.

Lehigh Carbon Community College will play intercollegiate sports one more year. But that's contingent on hiring an athletic trainer in the next 10 days, otherwise the Cougars have already competed for the last time, according to the college.

Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre in North Whitehall now has two party spaces available to rent for groups attending the theater.

Candidates have formed two groups: one made up of mostly incumbents, and the other made up of Republican challengers. Transparency, spending and projected overcrowding in the district's middle and high schools have become key issues in the race.

Democrats in Lehigh and Northampton counties requested three times more mail-in ballots than their Republican neighbors for next week's primary election.

The budget includes a 2.5% increase to the millage rate, the biggest increase in seven years. The district would still have the lowest millage rate in Lehigh County.

The city's parking authority earned the 2023 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its Park Green program, a sustainability initiative.

East Penn School Board race features two contentious slates of candidates.

PennDOT is replacing the 90-year-old Cementon Bridge thanks in part to $22.5 million in funding from the federal government. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey highlighted the improvements during a visit to Whitehall Township on Tuesday.

PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center on Tuesday released its “Dirty Dozen” report, a ranking of the commonwealth’s top climate polluters.

Three of the four incumbents are not seeking re-election to the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners this year. That leaves the Democratic primary — and future control of the board — wide open.

Partnership with the Lehigh County Conservation District, Pennsylvania Master Naturalist, and its certification course, aims to support local conservation efforts by providing education and hands-on experience for volunteers.

Mattel has marketed a Barbie doll that represents those with Down syndrome.

The IronPigs will host Memphis on Tuesday with the ABS system in use for the first time at home. It will call all pitches and transmit the results through an earpiece to the home plate umpire.

Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio is working to determine the identity of skeletal remains discovered by hikers in Canal Park in Allentown in April 1991. Forensic analysis has shown the remains to be an African-American male, aged 25-35 at time of death, who grew up in the South.