Lehigh County News

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Known as "tranq" on the streets, an animal tranquilizer named xylazine infiltrated drug supplies throughout Pennsylvania since 2019. Its presence in the Lehigh Valley has grown, with deadly consequences.

WLVR's Brad Klein talks with Bethlehem's Backyard Astronomy Guy, Marty McGuire about planetary viewing in this week's Watching the Skies. Leading into the first week of July, viewers can snag a better view of the planet Mercury just after sunset.

The Clean Trucks PA Coalition report identified more than 600 schools, childcare centers, playgrounds and parks near major roadways and trucking corridors across the state.

In the past four years, Lehigh and Northampton counties each saw a roughly 3% population increase, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday.

Check out a roundup of activities, places, and times to see the fireworks as the Lehigh Valley celebrates Independence Day.

The district will consider the addition of a new assistant superintendent role focused on special education programming.

In the spirit of Shakespeare, Saturday's celebration will feature entertainment for all ages, including musical performances by the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, alpaca and ponies, and a student-led Latin band.

A regionwide wastewater plan and a hazard mitigation plan both advanced with staff review approvals by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday night.

Jaindl Farms started in the early 1930s with just five Turkeys. Now, five generations later, they produce 840,000 turkeys a year.

Newly-elected Lehigh Valley State Sen. Jarett Coleman has dropped a lawsuit he filed last year against the Parkland School District that sought to invalidate teacher pay raises. The trial over Sunshine Act breaches was scheduled to take place this week.

The USDA report does not include information about which commercial turkey farms were affected, but Jaindl recently reported an outbreak of the disease.

It's been less than 24 hours since the Lehigh County Executive vetoed a pair of bills that would increase the pay of several municipal officials—including the county executive. The County's Board of Commissioners has undone that veto.

Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong vetoed a pair of bills that would have increased the salaries for several municipal officials. Armstrong said that he couldn't "justify" the move while county residents deal with inflation.

Lehigh County Sheriff Joe Hanna announced Tuesday he will seek a third term in the 2023 election cycle.

After long-term care facilities were hard hit by COVID outbreaks in the first two years of the pandemic, staff now say they've got a better handle on the situation.

Daniel Buglio will run for Lehigh County coroner, a job he was appointed to this spring.

Lehigh Valley Health Network's 17th Street Hospital is relocating and expanding its emergency department thanks to $6.5 million in state funding.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation offers a grant program to fund employees' ideas. Projects range from helping those with spinal chord injuries to researching specific topics.

With the leadup to the Lehigh-Lafayette game comes a tradition of hanging bedsheets around each campus heckling the other school. We've rounded up our favorites for you to enjoy.

The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrated local businesses and chamber president Tony Iannelli at its annual meeting.