Lehigh County News

Bob Brooks, Ryan Crosswell, Lamont McClure and Carol Obando-Derstine recorded their first debate Wednesday for WFMZ's Business Matters program. They are vying to earn the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, one of the country's most contested battlegrounds.

Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi, who faces more than 100 drug-related charges, was in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.

Pennsylvania has struggled for years with a disproportionately high number of fatal fires. It leads the nation again in civilian deaths so far this year, with a 23% jump over the weekend.

Officials are projecting a significant growth in traffic to and around the plant, which could cause strain on local roadways.

PBS39 broadcast a special, hourlong community forum on "housing gridlock," in which record-high prices, a 9,000-unit deficit and high interest rates have frozen the market for the workforce and first-time buyers.

Without enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, Lehigh Valley residents have seen their Pennie premiums climb more than $300 a month on average.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced more than 100 additional criminal charges Wednesday against County Commissioner Zachary Cole-Borghi.

Lengthy criminal complaints contained more than 150 pages of transcripts of messages allegedly sent between Cole-Borghi and cooperating sources for the prosecution. Those messages show negotiations on the price of drugs, including marijuana/THC products and cocaine, as well as arranging for delivery and purchase.

Jessica Ortiz and Paulette Hunter withdrew their objection to state Rep. Ana Tiburcio's candidate petition Tuesday, clearing the way for a Democratic primary battle between Tiburcio and Allentown City Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach.

A Lehigh Valley Planning Commission committee met Tuesday to go over regulations under consideration in Lowhill, Bushkill, Washington and Plainfield townships.

Pennsylvania's counties, school districts and social service agencies are warning of mounting layoffs, borrowing costs and damage to the state’s safety net as the politically divided state government enters its fourth month of a budget stalemate.

Those parties now will be able to call witnesses and make arguments of their own, as is the case with the original appellee, North Whitehall Township. Argument for the appeal is planned to begin at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 17 at Lehigh County Courthouse.

The Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute named its immunotherapy center in honor of philanthropists Peter and Odete Kelly, who gifted the institute $12 million on Tuesday.

Candidates for Allentown School Board will participate in a forum tonight at the Univest Public Media Center organized by the League of Women Voters of Lehigh County. Seven of the 8 candidates on the ballot are expected to participate.

The U.S. Justice Department has sued Pennsylvania and other states after they refused to turn over sensitive voter data. State and county officials have defended local election practices.

Because of increased volume of traffic, Route 22 in the Lehigh Valley now qualifies for a designation change to an interstate.

Two weeks after Iron Hill Brewery announced the closure of its flagship restaurant, the company shared Thursday that all locations are now closed.

Jared Gerhard, 31, of Macungie, was sentenced Thursday in a hearing before Lehigh County Judge Anna-Kristie M. Marks to 9 to 23 months in Lehigh County Jail, county District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said.

State officials on Thursday released the first fall foliage forecast of the year, an annual effort that maps the state’s six-week leaf-peeping season.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, addressed protests outside his office, criticisms of how President Donald Trump has rolled out tariffs and shifting thoughts on how to approach the war in Ukraine.

Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Environment Committee approved comments on more than a dozen water and wastewater projects Tuesday. The projects are part of a five-year capital plan.

A zoning amendment that would allow for the possibility of warehouses near a residential neighborhood in Hanover Township, Northampton County was reviewed by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's Comprehensive Planning Committee on Tuesday.