Lehigh County News

Lehigh County executive candidates Josh Siegel and Roger MacLean met in a debate Wednesday night hosted by Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem. Siegel argued the next executive needs to have big plans for the office, where MacLean positioned himself as offering more stability.

Plans for a 190,400-square-foot distribution facility along Main Street received unanimous conditional final approval from the Whitehall Township Planning Commission on Wednesday night.

Republican Roger MacLean and Democrat Josh Siegel are vying for a four-year term as Lehigh County executive. The winner in the Nov. 4 election will succeed Democrat Phil Armstrong, who cannot run again because of term limits.

Authorities allege Adam Makowka, 28, of South Whitehall Township, fatally shot Jereka Battle in her Allentown apartment in July.

A crop farm in Lehigh County was included in the latest round of Pennsylvania's Farmland Preservation Program. Twenty-three other farms across the state were also preserved.

Operations at Lehigh Valley International Airport have not suffered from the government shutdown to date, according to Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority officials. However, an increase in air traffic controllers calling out sick during the last shutdown spurred a deal in 2019.

In its 10th year, and led by the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, the conference theme was “Back to Basics,” and drew a sold-out crowd with about 180 people, including professionals and volunteers.

School Director Emily Gehman said Southern Lehigh has a pattern of pay disparities between female employees and their male colleagues.

Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners advanced plans Monday to address the chronic vehicle speeding issue on Water Street in the township's Darktown neighborhood.

The Allentown Environmental Advisory Council on Monday unanimously approved a letter and draft resolution, urging city officials to use non-chemical methods to dispatch invasive plants.

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.

A team of Emmaus High School students placed first in the Lehigh County Conservation District’s Envirothon the last week of April.

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is opening to the public on Friday, May 12, with a preview day for season pass-holders on May 7.

The new website for the Borough of Emmaus has launched after months of development due to the previous municipal site's takedown due to hacking.

At a gala held by The Literacy Center, three former graduates shared their progress and challenges.

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.