Lehigh County News

A crowd gathered — and cheered — as Luani the otter at Lehigh Valley Zoo made his Super Bowl LVII pick during the 12th annual Otter Bowl a day before the big game between the Eagles and Chiefs.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said police recovered a semiautomatic handgun from the man, as well as shell casings believed to have been fired from the weapon. No officers were hurt, but a projectile nicked an officer's bulletproof vest, Martin said.

Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio said the official pronouncement will be completed by the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Police are stepping up DUI enforcement for Super Bowl weekend. Each year, there’s a spike in the number of car crashes immediately following the Super Bowl than what is typical for a Sunday night.

Some spoke about the need for recovery houses, and others spoke about the potential harm it could bring to the children.

Monkey Knife Fight 2023, described as “the hardest charity ride you'll ever love to hate” is happening on April Fools' Day, and that is no joke.

Parents aren't the only ones frustrated. One bus driver says students acting out causes drivers to quit, creating high turnover rates. A number of school districts are negotiating new bus driver contracts.

Students gathered to cheer for the Emmaus High School graduate who joined the Eagles at the start of the season. The team is in Arizona getting ready to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.

Michelle Graupner, a South Whitehall Township Democrat, hopes to become Lehigh County's second clerk of judicial records.

St. Luke's University Health Network opened 6 pediatric specialty labs across the Lehigh Valley. The labs are designed to make children and their caregivers feel more at ease when receiving services.

Tuesday's primary election set up a number of races for the fall general election. Here are capsules from Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Democrats Sheila Alvarado, Dan Hartzell, April Riddick and Jon Irons appear set to advance to the November general election for Lehigh County commissioner.

The race featured two slates of Republican candidates and one Democrat. One slate of candidates took a pledge to enact policies regarding LGBTQ students and "woke" curriculum.

The Parkland School District budget that was voted on and approved Tuesday night includes a 2.5% property tax increase. The tax hike is district's highest in the past seven years, but is still the lowest millage rate in Lehigh County.

A new ArtsQuest festival that will bring three days of family-friendly music, games, food and amusements to Upper Macungie Township, announced in February as a paid-ticket event, now will be free, organizers announced.

The Borough of Emmaus has chosen to take the steps to treat its own water supply after spending over a year seeking a solution to the municipality's PFAS contamination issue

Since it's not a presidential or midterm election, the 2023 municipal primary election may have snuck up on folks. If that surprises you, here are some other things you may not know about how our local elections are run.

Gavin Holihan, the uncontested candidate for Lehigh County district attorney, has been endorsed by incumbent Republican Jim Martin and Democratic County Executive Phil Armstrong, among others.

Three candidates for the local office said they focused on juggling campaign tasks around full-time jobs in the lead-up to the primary election. All were driven by a desire to educate voters and help people understand county government and its services.

They have been working without a contract since last summer and say they are overworked and short-staffed.

National issues are seeping into local races, turning elections into proxy partisan fights over race and gender.

Local elections rarely get the same level of participation as presidential races, but the outcomes often have greater impacts on voters' quality of life.