Lehigh County News

Since it's not a presidential or midterm election, the 2023 municipal primary election may have snuck up on folks. If that surprises you, here are some other things you may not know about how our local elections are run.

Gavin Holihan, the uncontested candidate for Lehigh County district attorney, has been endorsed by incumbent Republican Jim Martin and Democratic County Executive Phil Armstrong, among others.

Three candidates for the local office said they focused on juggling campaign tasks around full-time jobs in the lead-up to the primary election. All were driven by a desire to educate voters and help people understand county government and its services.

They have been working without a contract since last summer and say they are overworked and short-staffed.

National issues are seeping into local races, turning elections into proxy partisan fights over race and gender.

Local elections rarely get the same level of participation as presidential races, but the outcomes often have greater impacts on voters' quality of life.

Like all the other major cities in the Lehigh Valley, Allentown is a patchwork of neighborhoods, some with good tree cover and some without any. Officials plan to use a mapping tool as a starting point to make planting trees city-wide more equitable.

Former journalist Ann Wlazelek pays tribute to her mother in a new book.

Debates in the South Whitehall commissioners race have taken place on the candidate's Facebook pages. The posts have primarily debated candidate Ben Long's positions and campaign style.

Concerts on the Grange is a two-day music festival that continues at 5:30 p.m. today, May 13, with tribute acts portraying The Doors and The Grateful Dead. Tickets, at $22 and $34, remain available on the SteelStacks website.

Penn State Lehigh Valley recently cut the ribbon on a new $14.4 million expansion project. The new wing is dedicated to former Congressman Charlie Dent.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Advocates are calling for a review of how Lehigh County spends money on criminal justice. And, they are pushing for it to be part of next…

Lehigh Valley International Airport is considering adding new direct flights to Puerto Rico.

Candidates are using these last few weeks before November’s municipal election to reach as many voters as possible. But campaigning for judicial races, like Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas, is different from other contests.

The Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office recently received accreditation from The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

Lehigh Carbon Community College recently received a federal grant to provide commercial truck driver training to members of the armed forces and their families.

If the infrastructure element of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda is approved by Congress, Amtrak believes they could return passenger rail to the region.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Elected officials met Friday to promote a plan to expand the existing passenger rail service statewide. For that to happen, Congress…

The office of state Sen. Pat Browne announced Thursday the senator was injured in a motorcycle crash on Aug. 31.

The Lehigh County jail has held two voluntary mass clinics with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine since May, putting shots into 322 arms. Corrections Director Janine Donate said now they’ve switched strategies: they are waiting until they get enough inmates interested - about four or five - to use up a vial of vaccine.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A recent proposal from Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley would provide free legal counsel to renters who are behind on payments. It…

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is rallying votes in Washington for the Better Care Better Jobs Act.