Lehigh County News

Julian Guridy will face Bob Smith in the race to fill former state Rep. Josh Siegel's term.

Democrat Julian Guridy, an aide to state Sen. Nick Miller, is viewed as the favorite to land the party's nomination for the upcoming 22nd House District special election. Allentown Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach, precinct committee person Erlinda Aguilar and Lewis Shupe are also seeking the nomination.

One of Bethlehem's previous ESG application process in 2024 came on behalf of 12 area organizations, such as New Bethany, Third Street Alliance, VETBEDS and Valley Youth House.

Lehigh Valley municipalities will get nearly $3.5 million in combined funding from the Green Light-Go and Multimodal Transportation Fund programs to upgrade traffic signals and improve transportation safety.

Locally, housing costs still remain lower than national averages, but data from real estate marketplaces compared with U.S. Census data in Lehigh and Northampton counties show housing affordability still is a struggle.

Garcia's work with the anti-violence nonprofit organization is fueled by her son's murder in 2012. Her goal is to keep his memory alive and reduce shootings in Allentown moving forward.

Of the thousands of stories covered and told in 2025, our staff picked some of their favorites. They included a bald eagle looking for love in the Hellertown area and an $11 million "sky dome" planned for Easton.

In 2025, LehighValleyNews.com readers gravitated toward stories that reflected mounting economic pressure, public safety concerns, environmental uncertainty and moments of sharp civic tension.

The Broken Record, whose decor and even food names follow a music theme, held a soft opening at its strip-center location at 6776 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie Township.

With the new year comes a new season of high school musicals, as hundreds of student performers begin rehearsals, hoping for a nomination at the 24th annual Freddy Awards.

The baby alpaca was born Oct. 23. The zoo is taking suggestions for a name.

Another energized, entertaining and successful annual meeting and awards show of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce had ended.

An attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press argued that a motion to unseal court dockets tied to a drug bust should be allowed to continue in Lehigh County Court. LehighValleyNews.com, lehighvalleylive.com and the Morning Call have joined in the effort to make the records public.

The new 68,000-square-foot store and on-site fuel station at 3300 Lehigh St. will open at 8 a.m. Nov. 21 and afterward operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, the chain said in a release.

Current conditions, along with the continued drying of fine fuels, "could support the rapid spread of any fires that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to control," the National Weather Service said.

With an unusually politicized Supreme Court retention question on the ballot Tuesday, Lehigh Valley voters overwhelmingly backed Democratic candidates.

Brenda Rodriguez, 52, of Palmerton, is the final of three defendants to be sentenced in the Dec. 7, 2024, shooting death of her husband, Hector Garcia Gomez, in the parking lot of Loco Hot Deals, 1155 MacArthur Road.

Mackenzie, along with officials from Wildlands Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, on Wednesday morning hiked a portion of the property, lauding the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund that helped preserve it.

These are the complete but unofficial election returns reported by Lehigh County for the Nov. 4, 2025, general election.

Democrat Sarah Fevig may have spent a record amount for a single county commissioner candidate in her campaign. Meanwhile, Zach Cole-Borghi handily defeated his opponent despite the specter of criminal charges.

There were several contested school board races in Lehigh and Northampton counties for Tuesday's general election. Here are the unofficial returns as reported by the counties.

Mark Stanziola defeated prosecutor Patricia Mulqueen in the race for Lehigh County judge. The judgeship is a new one approved by state lawmakers and brings to 11 the number of Common Pleas Court judges in Lehigh County.