Lehigh County News

Parkland School Board approved its final budget Tuesday, which will take the millage rate from 16.30 mills to 17.12 mills, a 5% increase. The average resident will pay about $200 more in school property taxes next year.

A continuance was granted for the sixth time this year to Paxos Group real estate company for a hearing before the Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board on charges it has violated a zoning ordinance prohibiting the renting or leasing of condominiums as apartments on Arey Lane.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, is slated to appear at Saturday's Rally the Valley for Women's Choice in Bethlehem. It's part of a five-day campaign tour the three-term incumbent is launching this week in his race against Republican challenger David McCormick.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's General Duty Clause essentially says employees are entitled to a safe and healthy workplace. In some cases, that applies to workers that can endure excessive heat, like during a heat advisory.

The Parkland School Board on Tuesday accepted district Director of Performing Arts Frank Anonia’s resignation, effective Friday, June 21. Anonia recently was the subject of an internal investigation.

Over the last three decades, more than 400 farms have been preserved in Lehigh County. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

Grant applications for the Municipal Opportunities for Retrofits and Energy Efficiency, or MORE, Program are open. Loans are also available through a Lehigh Valley lender.

Borough council debated the merits of a LERTA plan for the construction of apartments on 300 Furnace Street, a long-vacant former industrial site

Parkland School Board on Tuesday will vote on whether to accept district Director of Performing Arts Frank Anonia’s resignation, effective June 21, according to the meeting’s agenda.

Lowhill Township lost an appeal to a deemed approval for a warehouse plan on Betz Court. But about a week earlier, the state DEP preliminarily denied a permit for that same warehouse plan.

The appeal involves potential open meetings violations.

At the latest hearing for the proposed facility, both witnesses spoke about the need for recovery houses. "There's as much effort being made to get the drugs out there as to keep them also on the down-low, very silenced, so no one really can tell. And they're attacking our young population.” Julissa Pena, a witness for the applicant said.

The grant will cover pre-construction and land development expenses in Upper Saucon Township. The new YMCA has been on the drawing board for years. Officials hope to open in in 2025.

After waiting to decide on how to fill a vacant seat, Allentown City Council has named a local business owner to fill state Rep. Josh Siegel's seat.

The board may have violated transparency laws because key discussions about filling a vacancy did not happen in public, according to Melissa Melewsky, in-house counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.

A local group will hold a free training for people interested in securing funds needed to start a business.

The Parkland School Board voted 7-1 to appoint a longtime former board member to fill the vacant seat.

Lehigh Valley Health Network announced Wednesday that they have acquired Venel Institute Medical Education and Research Center in Bethlehem. This will expand LVHN's educational reach.

Gavin P. Holihan will join the Lehigh County District Attorney's office as First Assistant DA this month.

Districts across the Lehigh Valley continue to feel the pandemic pinch over products like chicken patties and chips — and they're not expecting a change anytime soon.

Andre Williams owns AW Selvedge and DKShin, denim companies. He is based in the Lehigh Valley. He’s using the skills he honed on the field to dress people. And he said making a sale gives him the feeling of a win.

Pat Browne, Lehigh County's former state senator, created legislation that generated over $1 billion for the Lehigh Valley over 28 years in Harrisburg.