Lehigh County News

A Lehigh Valley resident was recognized as a “Volunteer of the Year” for 2023 by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a statewide nonprofit that focuses on litter cleanups and community improvements.

Tuesday served as a preview of the political campaigns to come as candidates filed paperwork to appear on the April primary ballot. Voters will decide races for president, Congress and the General Assembly among others this year.

Whitehall Township commissioners selected new member Rob Piligian after several votes during a meeting Monday night, just shy of the deadline to do so.

A change.org petition opposing the new mascot chosen by the Whitehall-Coplay School District has attracted more than 1,200 signatures. The mascot, named Big Z, is so named in honor of the school name Zephyr, which was also a train that once ran through Whitehall Township.

Candidates for president, Congress, the General Assembly and Pennsylvania's row offices must file their petitions with the state by Tuesday. Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley could be a critical swing region at both the national and state levels.

One area of potential concern at the Allentown State Hospital had been the presence of dioxins in the soil. Dioxins are a group of toxic chemical compounds that take a long time to break down in the environment, and can cause health problems in people.

With an inconclusive prediction, Sunday's Super Bowl is up in the air — according to the Lehigh Valley Zoo's otters. The zoo in Lehigh County hosted its Otter Bowl XIII, which drew hundreds of spectators Saturday.

It’s a special year for cicadas, insects known for their high-pitched mating songs. Two adjacent broods are expected to co-emerge for the first time in 221 years. Here's the next time they emerge in the Valley.

Allen Issa, a former congressional aide and Penn State Law student, endorsed Maria Montero for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District race.

South Whitehall planners Thursday reviewed a plan for a new medical office for Aesthetic Surgery Associates. The practice would relocate to the new building from its current location at 250 Cetronia Road.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office is not planning to investigate a police use-of-force incident in Allentown.

This week Lehigh County Controller, Mark Pinsley, called for criminal justice reform.

Summertime is typically a time for kids to get a break from school. It can also be a time for summer slide; the learning loss many children experience during summer vacation. And this year, COVID-19 class cancellations turned what’s typically a two month recess into six months.

As the 4th of July holiday approaches, calls for increased policing in Allentown - on setting off fireworks - dominated a city council meeting this week. WLVR’s Tyler Pratt reports.

From the White House to Pennsylvania’s state capital, government officials are facing mounting pressure to address police brutality. Hasshan Batts of Promise Neighborhoods in Allentown says the criminal justice system is the human rights issue of our time.

For 34 years, Russell Valentini, the man Allentown knows as Rooster, has been the one person families could turn to. When landlords locked them out, when shelters were full and when there was no cash left to pay for dinner.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Amid widespread COVID-19 closures, dozens of parishes were forced to shut their doors and shift services online. But now, for the first…

Ramona is a 5-year-old companion dog at the Lehigh County Courthouse. Her role is to help ease the trauma of testifying in court.

Local members of Black Lives Matter say they will meet this week with Allentown’s mayor and police chief to discuss ways to increase diversity in the police department Allentown’s head of law enforcement says policing needs to change.

The Associated Press has named Lisa Scheller the winner in the Republican primary race for the Lehigh Valley’s 7th congressional district. The GOP nominee will face incumbent Democrat Susan Wild for the seat in November.

Lehigh County sent out nearly 48-thousand mail-in ballots for this year’s primary election–more than election officials have ever tried to count on Election Day.

In yesterday’s primary, four wards in Allentown were consolidated into one voting location at Fearless Fire Company. And as WLVR’s Tracy Yatsko reports, complications around that meant the site opened late for in-person voting.