Lehigh County News

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.

Officials on Wednesday reviewed several preliminary transportation policy strategies for the Valley's priority climate action plan. The plan’s focus is to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, a significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions across the region.

More than three dozen projects in the Valley were awarded grants, receiving about 7% of the total funding awarded. Statewide, $335 million in grants were announced Wednesday.

KidsPeace, which provides behavioral and mental health services to children, collected about 1,400 toys for its 12th annual Angel Tree holiday gift drive.

All but one township zoning amendment application were reviewed without issue by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Comprehensive Planning Committee on Tuesday afternoon.

If ultimately completed, the combined health care system would operate 30 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient sites, with more than 62,000 employees, according to LVHN and Jefferson Health.

To help ease the strain of surging COVID cases, officials are considering letting some inmates go home on work release.

Many of the ceremonies will be restricted and streamed online because of the surge in COVID-19 cases.

More than 5,000 Pennsylvanians died from overdoses last year.

Wintertime and the post-holiday doldrums can contribute to the condition.

Mark Pinsley says it would reduce food waste and provide job training for the incarcerated.

Keeping kids in school is a challenge as wages rise.

Both Allentown and Bethlehem would be split into different Senate districts under the plan.

The district attorney's office says Nothstein stalked a female acquaintance and her boyfriend.

Lehigh County had one of the largest percent jump in liquor sales in the state since the start of the pandemic.

Police say the "smash and grab" theft could be part of a bigger national trend.

A total of 261 mail-in ballots remain uncounted and could swing the outcome.

Pa. House Republicans have threatened to impeach the Lehigh County election board if the mail-in votes are counted.