Lehigh County News

A Lehigh Valley resident was recognized as a “Volunteer of the Year” for 2023 by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a statewide nonprofit that focuses on litter cleanups and community improvements.

Tuesday served as a preview of the political campaigns to come as candidates filed paperwork to appear on the April primary ballot. Voters will decide races for president, Congress and the General Assembly among others this year.

Whitehall Township commissioners selected new member Rob Piligian after several votes during a meeting Monday night, just shy of the deadline to do so.

A change.org petition opposing the new mascot chosen by the Whitehall-Coplay School District has attracted more than 1,200 signatures. The mascot, named Big Z, is so named in honor of the school name Zephyr, which was also a train that once ran through Whitehall Township.

Candidates for president, Congress, the General Assembly and Pennsylvania's row offices must file their petitions with the state by Tuesday. Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley could be a critical swing region at both the national and state levels.

One area of potential concern at the Allentown State Hospital had been the presence of dioxins in the soil. Dioxins are a group of toxic chemical compounds that take a long time to break down in the environment, and can cause health problems in people.

With an inconclusive prediction, Sunday's Super Bowl is up in the air — according to the Lehigh Valley Zoo's otters. The zoo in Lehigh County hosted its Otter Bowl XIII, which drew hundreds of spectators Saturday.

It’s a special year for cicadas, insects known for their high-pitched mating songs. Two adjacent broods are expected to co-emerge for the first time in 221 years. Here's the next time they emerge in the Valley.

Allen Issa, a former congressional aide and Penn State Law student, endorsed Maria Montero for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District race.

South Whitehall planners Thursday reviewed a plan for a new medical office for Aesthetic Surgery Associates. The practice would relocate to the new building from its current location at 250 Cetronia Road.

Erik McGaughey, the new CEO of Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley, says a dedicated staff and hundreds of volunteers are making a difference in ways that go far beyond perceptions of what the nonprofit is and what it provides.

Contrasting points of view are at issue with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's decision to relocate its headquarters.

Planners recommended approval to the preliminary/final plan for a self-storage facility on Walbert Avenue.

The Board of Commissioners adopted the plan four years after its creation began.

A motorcade of 40 dirt bikes and ATVs ignored traffic laws and endangered others last year. They also delayed an injured Allentown detective from getting medical treatment. Only one driver, a Pen Argyl man, has been identified and charged.

The Upper Macungie Planning Commission reviewed a revised conceptual design for the proposed residential development Sunset Orchards.

Allentown City Council unanimously voted on Wednesday night to approve Mayor Matt Tuerk’s ordinance to appropriate $10,000 for an analysis of the embattled parking authority.

Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton, invited the state Senate’s top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee for a visit Tuesday of the Allentown School District’s oldest school buildings.

Allentown City Planning Commission on Tuesday gave preliminary final approval for a proposed five-story, 140-room boutique hotel, with ground-bar and restaurant at 949 Hamilton St.

Mayor Matt Tuerk is asking city council to approve a $10,000 study of the Allentown Parking Authority's management and structure. It comes in the wake of dozens of complaints from residents alleging overbearing and predatory enforcement practices.

Lehigh County Judge Thomas Capehart denied the appeal of Patrick Palmer, who argued election staff should accept his paperwork because he paid a filing fee on time.

Upper Macungie planners will discuss the Sunset Orchards residential development at a meeting Wednesday.