Lehigh County News

Francis Anonia, a former Parkland High School performing arts teacher, was arraigned in Lehigh County Court on Friday morning on charges he used his cell phone multiple times to secretly record a male student in a school changing room in 2022. If found guilty of all 19 charges, he could face up to 88 years in prison.

Bethlehem City Council on Dec. 17 unanimously approved the work, allocating $57,850 for local firm Traffic Planning and Design Inc. to complete the preliminary design measures sometime this year but before Dec. 31.

South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners on Wednesday night voted 3-2 against a text amendment request that would have allowed for the building of a 8,000-square-foot restaurant at the Ridge Farms mixed-use housing development.

Allentown's EAC accomplished a lot in the past year, including successfully lobbying for two pieces of legislation and supporting a sustainability coordinator for the second year.

Angry and frustrated family and friends of the late Edward Tomcics packed the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, imploring them to address the speeding epidemic on Water Street. Tomcics, 75, was struck and killed outside his home on Dec. 25. An investigation into the incident is underway.

Excelsior Farms was one of nine farms across the state recognized at the 109th PA Farm Show that have been in the same family for 100 years or more.

Authorities are investigating after the body of a 39-year-old New Jersey resident was found in a dumpster behind the Santander Bank on Saturday.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. LehighValleyNews.com spoke with local human trafficking awareness advocate Carol Andersen to learn how to be more aware of human trafficking in the region.

Joshua D. Moser was found dead in his Lehigh County Jail cell on Saturday, Jan. 11. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, but Lehigh County Coroner and the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office believe it to be a suicide.

Ten Lehigh Valley children with disabilities were presented with adaptive bikes or strollers at Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21. Each individually customized adaptive bike costs $3,500 to $4,000 and is not covered by insurance.

State Sen. Lisa Boscola is proposing changes to the school bus camera arm bill to improve transparency, ensure timely hearings and make the enforcement process more reasonable for drivers while preserving the essential goal of protecting students.

Democrat Sarah Fevig and Republican Patrick Leonard are running to represent Lehigh County's District 5 on its board of commissioners.

Southern Lehigh school directors will vote on the final version of a proposed generative artificial intelligence policy at their Oct. 27 meeting.

The voter registration deadline to vote in the Nov. 4 election is Monday, Oct. 20, while the last day to request a mail-in ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Former Allentown police officer Jason Krasley was charged with stealing more than $5,000 in May 2019 as he and other Vice and Intelligence Unit officers searched a barbershop. Separately, Krasley still faces several other charges, including rape, sexual assault and prostitution.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie led the field in political fundraising for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District over the past three months. Democratic candidates Ryan Crosswell and Bob Brooks were not far behind, each raising more than $300,000 over the same time period.

Gov. Josh Shapiro's office says without the federal payments for SNAP — the food stamp program — more than $366 million in monthly benefits could be put on hold starting Nov. 1. The federal government shutdown is in its third week.

Sketch plans for an athletic complex for Allentown Central Catholic High School were reviewed by the Whitehall Township Planning Commission on Wednesday night.

Applications are open for the second Good Farmer Award U.S. Officials are looking for farmers with less than 10 years of experience who exemplify sustainable farming practices while contributing to community and environmental health.

Lehigh County executive candidates Josh Siegel and Roger MacLean met in a debate Wednesday night hosted by Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem. Siegel argued the next executive needs to have big plans for the office, where MacLean positioned himself as offering more stability.

Plans for a 190,400-square-foot distribution facility along Main Street received unanimous conditional final approval from the Whitehall Township Planning Commission on Wednesday night.

Republican Roger MacLean and Democrat Josh Siegel are vying for a four-year term as Lehigh County executive. The winner in the Nov. 4 election will succeed Democrat Phil Armstrong, who cannot run again because of term limits.