Lehigh County News

Lawmakers in Harrisburg passed nearly three dozen laws last week in a final burst of action as they held their last voting session of the year.

Silk Lehigh Valley has to move from its location in the Hamilton Business Center after Allentown inspectors deemed the building an "immediate risk to human life” earlier this month.

Monsignor John P. Murphy headed St. Thomas More Church in Allentown for more than 40 years. He died Friday at age 86, according to the Diocese of Allentown.

Lehigh County Courthouse is expected to reopen a week after fire sprinklers damaged the building's electrical system Tuesday night.

The South Whitehall Board of Commissioners is seeking applications to fill a vacant seat. The current commissioners will conduct public interviews with applicants at a special meeting on Dec. 28, then vote to appoint one of them.

The Upper Macungie Planning Commission reviewed a sketch plan for renovations and expansions to Trexler Travel Center on 5829 Tilghman St.

It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.

The new position will appear on the ballot in 2025. The Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas had one of the higher caseloads for counties of its size.

Officials on Wednesday reviewed several preliminary transportation policy strategies for the Valley's priority climate action plan. The plan’s focus is to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, a significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions across the region.

More than three dozen projects in the Valley were awarded grants, receiving about 7% of the total funding awarded. Statewide, $335 million in grants were announced Wednesday.

Director Patrick Foose has recently clashed with other board directors and has been the lone dissenting vote on several issues related to transparency on the board.

A sketch plan for a new housing development called Estates at Woodmere was presented to the planning commission Wednesday.

Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat of Pennsylvania (SIJPA) is in the process of building a new mosque at the Al-Ahad Islamic Center.

Allentown City Council elected previous president Daryl Hendricks as the council president while outgoing president Cynthia Mota was elected to the vice president position

South Whitehall officials are hosting an open house meeting to solicit resident feedback for the township's draft comprehensive plan. It will serve as a guideline for how the township will grow in the next 10-15 years.

Some Lehigh Valley school districts are reviewing their safety protocols for responding to injuries at area football games after Damar Hamlin's recent collapse brought renewed attention to the dangers of the sport.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin will not be seeking reelection after nearly 25 years in the office

Parkland School Board Vice President Marisa Ziegler announced her reelection campaign Tuesday.

The board had two vacancies due to the resignations of now-State Sen. Nick Miller and former Director Charlie Thiel.

After leading the team that saved a man buried at a construction site, Allentown Technical Rescue Team Commander Jonathan Hammel reflects on the trench rescue.

Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro plans to nominate former Lehigh County Sen. Pat Browne, who left office last month, as the commonwealth's Secretary of Revenue.

OSHA documentation shows a prior inspection history for the company that resulted in 3 serious violations involving trench excavation hazards