Lehigh County News

A bike repair station donated by the Whitehall Area Rotary Club was dedicated at the Ironton Rail Trail pavilion on Monday.

A 26-year-old Alburtis man who died when he was hit by a train on Sunday in the borough has been identified.

The Lehigh Valley has been reshaped by a massive wave of development, both in industrial and residential, that has swept over the region the last three decades. While the development boom may be slowing, the impacts to the region’s economy and the environment are clear. (First of 5 parts)

Coming this week and starting Monday, LehighValleyNews.com explores the Lehigh Valley's warehouse economy — an examination of where we are today, how we got here and where we’re going.

The Parkland School Board on Tuesday gave Robert Seel, Class of 1961, his long-awaited diploma. Seel left during his senior year in January 1961 to serve in the military.

An attack ad targeting U.S. Rep. Susan Wild left out important context over her record on the U.S. border while an ad supporting her appears to overstate a speaker's credentials as a police officer.

Cetronia Volunteer Fire Company will hold an open house from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is looking to review zoning ordinances in Slatington and Washington Townships. A public hearing is set to take place Sept. 9.

A self-storage project was advanced, and two others projects were tabled by the Whitehall Township Planning Commission.

Upper Macungie Planning Commission on Wednesday reviewed a preliminary/final plan for Sunset Orchards, a proposed housing development near the intersection of Shantz and Ruppsville roads.

The tax and spending plan drew praise from Republicans for lowering taxes and funding border security, but Democrats condemned it for slashing Medicaid coverage and raising the deficit.

In a move that Santander Bank said aligns with the financial institution's digital shift nationwide, seven Lehigh Valley branches will be sold to Community Bank. Branches will remain open and employees will be offered continued employment during the transition, which is expected to complete by the end of the year,

South Whitehall Township's board of commissioners voted Wednesday to purchase upgraded radios for first responders in the township through a five-year payment plan provided by Lehigh County.

Nearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market.

Allentown's Redevelopment Authority is applying for up to $2.5 million that could be used to rehab 10 single-family homes for low-income residents.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

Newhard Farms Corn Shed opened Tuesday for sweet corn sales. While it opened a few days later than in recent years, there's expected to be a good supply this season.

The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Known as "tranq" on the streets, an animal tranquilizer named xylazine infiltrated drug supplies throughout Pennsylvania since 2019. Its presence in the Lehigh Valley has grown, with deadly consequences.

WLVR's Brad Klein talks with Bethlehem's Backyard Astronomy Guy, Marty McGuire about planetary viewing in this week's Watching the Skies. Leading into the first week of July, viewers can snag a better view of the planet Mercury just after sunset.