Lehigh County News

Dozens of Lehigh Valley projects cashed checks worth nearly $19 million in fiscal year 2023 thanks to support from U.S. Rep. Susan Wild and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. The Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation brought home $364.5 million in earmarks, which ranked in the top half of U.S. states.

The Winter Light Spectacular features 1.2 million lights in holiday displays, fire pits for s’mores, hot chocolate and live performances by princesses Anna, Elsa, Belle and Cinderella.

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.

Carlos Landesta-Agramonte was among five people charged in the death of 25-year-old Angel Martinez-Velez, who was shot multiple times while playing basketball June 1, 2024, at Fountain Park.

Macungie residents, including a long-serving corporal of the police department, packed a borough council meeting Wednesday morning to protest a revised police internal affairs policy.

The man, whom Coroner Daniel A. Buglio identified only as John Doe, was in the front seat of the car, which slammed into the pole in the 1800 block of Flint Hill Road about 9:15 p.m.

Lehigh County Judge Thomas Caffrey said criminal dockets related to an interstate drug ring should have been unsealed weeks ago. LehighValleyLive.com, LehighValleyNews.com and The Morning Call had petitioned the court to release information pertaining to dozens of criminal defendants.

North Whitehall Township Planning Commission voted Tuesday to reject Gene Weierbach's contention that a zoning ordinance pertaining to an auto repair shop operating in a residential zone is unconstitutional.

The Kline’s Island Sewer System, or KISS, regional wastewater plan has been approved by more than a dozen Lehigh County municipalities. Now, it's up to the state Department of Environmental Protection to approve it.

Authorities are trying to sort through exactly what led to a 29-year-old man's death near South Fourth Street and Emaus Avenue. The district attorney says the victim had confronted the delivery driver whom he believed had damaged his vehicle.

St. Nick is making more than a dozen stops across the region this season, joining communities for a season of cheer. Many events are also collecting food and unwrapped toys to support local families in need.

The City of Allentown has partnered with Blue Zones Project-Allentown to promote no drinking and driving during the holiday season.

A Lehigh County judge has denied a request by Francis Anonia, the former Parkland School District performing arts administrator, to suppress videos allegedly recovered from his cell phone during an invasion of privacy investigation by county detectives.

The survey, part of a project out of Lehigh’s Climate Resilience Center, is open until mid-December. As an incentive, residents who complete the survey will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card.

The Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides vouchers to low-income seniors and others. Last year in Lehigh and Northampton counties, only 24,063 vouchers out of 52,462 distributed to seniors and WIC recipients were redeemed, according to program figures. That's just over a 45% redemption rate.