Lehigh County News

Locally, housing costs still remain lower than national averages, but data from real estate marketplaces compared with U.S. Census data in Lehigh and Northampton counties show housing affordability still is a struggle.

Garcia's work with the anti-violence nonprofit organization is fueled by her son's murder in 2012. Her goal is to keep his memory alive and reduce shootings in Allentown moving forward.

Of the thousands of stories covered and told in 2025, our staff picked some of their favorites. They included a bald eagle looking for love in the Hellertown area and an $11 million "sky dome" planned for Easton.

In 2025, LehighValleyNews.com readers gravitated toward stories that reflected mounting economic pressure, public safety concerns, environmental uncertainty and moments of sharp civic tension.

The Broken Record, whose decor and even food names follow a music theme, held a soft opening at its strip-center location at 6776 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie Township.

With the new year comes a new season of high school musicals, as hundreds of student performers begin rehearsals, hoping for a nomination at the 24th annual Freddy Awards.

Fewer than two dozen rank-and-file members from the Lehigh County Democratic Committee are set to nominate the party’s candidate for the Feb. 24 special election.

While the political news cycle can change on a dime, some clear stories appear in store for 2026, including the Lehigh Valley's congressional race.

For the first time, all three of the Lehigh Valley’s cities have a sustainability manager or coordinator, a role dedicated to sustainability initiatives and fighting the worsening impacts of climate change.

The rebate is meant to help seniors, widows and widowers and residents with disabilities who paid property taxes or rent in 2024.

Lehigh County officials gathered Friday to celebrate the finish of structural steel work on a new building at the county-run Cedarbrook nursing home. Officials initially hoped the building would be open by now.

Gas prices are going up for UGI customers in the near future, but the rate hike will be lower than expected after a settlement announced Thursday with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

The League of Women Voters of Lehigh County will moderate and run the forums in partnership with Lehigh Valley Public Media. Participating will be school board candidates from Allentown, Parkland, East Penn and Southern Lehigh school districts.

The Coalition of Manufactured Home Communities of Pennsylvania held a get-together Wednesday to discuss the lot rental price jumps throughout the communities, and tell residents how they are combatting it.

Officials behind the Lehigh Valley Breathes project have announced an Aug. 31 data cut-off date, ending the data collection phase. The project was launched in August 2023.

Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi is the only defendant in an alleged interstate marijuana ring whom authorities have publicly identified. He made his first public comments since being arrested Aug. 28 at his job at Bethlehem City Hall.

“Sacred Planet with Gulnaz Khan,” is a four-part documentary series focused on how indigenous leaders and traditional religious communities across the world are grappling with the impacts of climate change.

The city EAC on Monday, with support from city officials, planned to launch a trash survey focused on containers. They also discussed the possibility of a pilot program.

Lehigh County took another look at the 2026 budget, highlighting some key areas of concern including a state budget shortfall which has forced the county to fall back on its stabilization fund.

The controller's report — published in mid-July — says the Guardian ad Litem program in Lehigh County lacks centralization, oversight and consistency in billing and compensation. That undermines "public trust in child welfare proceedings," he said.

The case against Matthew Wolfe relied heavily on the expert testimony of Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen, the former Lehigh Valley Health Network physician being sued for alleged medical child abuse misdiagnoses. With her credibility under scrutiny, prosecutors agreed to cut years off Wolf's sentence.

The $1,204,400 award through the Carbon Reduction Program will help LANTA make the most of its limited stops along the Enhanced Bus Service’s Blue Line and Green Line routes, according to LANTA Executive Director Owen O’Neil.