Lehigh County News

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.

School districts will establish their own policies in January.

The governor said he will turn over masking decisions to local school officials on Jan. 17.

Measures claiming to promote “energy choice” in Pennsylvania appear to be gaining momentum in the legislature.

Kids aged 5-11 can now receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Shots are already being administered across the Lehigh Valley.

Wolf again urged the Legislature to raise Pa.'s minimum wage to $12 an hour.

More kids in Lehigh Valley can now get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Local health providers are rolling out plans to vaccinate children ages 5 to 11 for COVID-19.

A back-and-forth battle on Election Night ends with Armstrong saying he's captured a 2nd term.

A major Lehigh Valley race is still too close to call. As of 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Republican challenger for the Lehigh County executive, Glenn Eckhart, barely trailed behind incumbent Phil Armstrong, a Democrat.

At the Lehigh County Government Center, the hub for election results in Lehigh County, there wasn’t as much foot traffic inside the actual polling room on the main floor.

Some insects like mosquitos are thriving later in the season as temperatures reach well into the 70s.

Candidates reach out to potential voters by going door-to-door and hosting listening sessions.