Lehigh County News

Between 5,000 and 6,000 people are expected for former President Donald Trump's campaign rally at the Schnecksville Fire Hall on Saturday, according to Lehigh County Republican Committee Chairman Joe Vichot.

Hosted by the Northampton County Conservation District, the Envirothon is scheduled for April 18 at Louise W. Moore County Park. Teams will be tested in a handful of different topics, including wildlife, forestry, soils and land use, aquatic ecology and a current environmental issue.

Two people died in separate incidents on Route 145 in Lehigh and Northampton counties over a nine-hour period, authorities said. A 15-year-old was hit by a vehicle on MacArthur Road in Whitehall and a dump truck driver died in Lehigh Township.

The Lehigh Valley continues to be among the nation's leaders in economic development, it was revealed at the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook event on Tuesday in Allentown.

The results of Lehigh Gap Nature Center's 27th annual Lehigh Gap Area Feeder Watch are in. Find out what birds were spotted.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey visited the Lehigh Valley on Monday to raise awareness of the PACT Act. Government officials believe veterans may not be aware of expanded health care benefits that they're eligible for since Congress passed the law in 2022.

Despite the cold weather, dozens of anglers showed out to the Little Lehigh Creek in Allentown to mark the first day of trout season in Pennsylvania. The Fish and Boat Commission has been hard at work populating local waters with trout since February.

Some enthusiasts drove from hours away and stood on the roofs of their cars — just to get a glimpse of Apache, Chinook and Blackhawk aircraft at Lehigh Valley International Airport.

A Pennsylvania Supreme Court case delayed counties from sending out ballots, leaving voters with less time than usual to send them back in. Northampton County officials are encouraging voters to use drop boxes as a result.

Registered Democrats, Republicans and a few independents who register by Monday, April 8, can cast a ballot in the April 23 primary election.

Legislators worked to establish penalties for xylazine use and trafficking in an attempt to lessen its presence in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. Some say doing so made way for a new, unclassified veterinary tranquilizer to take its place — medetomidine.

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.