Lehigh County News

North Whitehall Township is hosting its second Veterans Day Luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 9. It will take place at the banquet hall of Schnecksville Volunteer Fire Company from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Voters are casting ballots in several races at the county and local levels in Tuesday's general election. School board seats and statewide judicial posts also are up for grabs. Check out our rundown and last-minute checklist to get up to speed.

Trexler Middle School students took part in a game show to expose students to financial literacy with "Who Wants to be a Bazillionare," taking concepts from the American Public Media podcast "Million Bazillion"

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Rain doesn't appear to have dampened spirits as Macungie Halloween Committee shifts its plans for festival.

The first new building on Muhlenberg’s campus in more than a decade, the Fahy Commons for Public Engagement and Innovation, 2400 W. Chew St., has racked up three different sustainability awards and certifications.

The commission no longer has an investigator, forcing it to refer discrimination complaints about housing, employment and public accommodations to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

Upper Macungie's proposed 2024 budget does not include a tax increase, but would increase the refuse and recycling fee.

Lehigh Valley Breathes is a Valley-wide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing. The project is expected to run for a year.

Data released by the Pennsylvania State Department Wednesday shows Democrats made up more than 72% of mail-in ballot requests this November. Despite efforts by the RNC and local Republicans to promote mail-in voting, that's actually worse than the divide in 2022.

The Lehigh Valley's public transit system says it will have to cut service by 20 percent and boost fares by 25 percent without additional state funding — something that Gov. Josh Shapiro has called for but that lawmakers will have to approve.

In this week's episode of Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick talk about the Lehigh Valley's "packed primary" and the highly contested races to keep an eye on.

Drivers who have been ticketed for school bus camera violations say the process to contest them needs to change. PennDOT said thousands of citations across seven Lehigh Valley school districts are still awaiting hearings.

Lehigh County Authority officials in mid-April sent the Kline’s Island Sewer System, or KISS, regional wastewater plan for municipal review. It's the next step in a years-long process to make much-needed upgrades to wastewater infrastructure.

More than 48,000 people have requested a mail-in ballot in Lehigh and Northampton counties ahead of Tuesday's primary election. Even if thousands of those never get turned in, it should mark an increase from the 2021 local primary.

Republicans Roger MacLean and Mike Welsh have spent less than $8,000 combined on their race. Meanwhile, their Democratic opponent Josh Siegel has amassed more than $180,000 in his war chest. The primary election is Tuesday, May 20.

About 9,000 fans watched Cosmic Baseball at Coca-Cola Park on Friday night. The game pitted Tri-City Chili Peppers and GloMojis wearing glow-in-the-dark uniforms and caps illuminated by UV light.

Twelve billboards have been posted in and around the city, several at high-traffic areas like Route 22, Interstate 78 and the turnpike. They’re part of a campaign from More Perfect Union.

The funding — totaling $3.4 million across 23 counties — is part of the Fresh Food Financing Initiative. It follows the cancellation of $13 million in contracted funding through the USDA’s Local Food Purchasing Assistance program.

Cuts to Medicaid reimbursements could harm Lehigh County residents and create a budget gap, a new report from the county controller's office found.

Two area community colleges are expanding their dual enrollment programming, which enables high school students to better prepare for college and careers. The Pennsylvania Department of Education awarded $14 million in Dual Credit Innovation Grants to 15 public institutions of higher education to increase their programming.

Lehigh County's board of commissioners voted narrowly Wednesday to grant a LERTA tax break for a property in Emmaus set to become 144 apartments.