Lehigh County News

Republicans balked at Gov. Josh Shapiro's $51.4 billion budget proposal Tuesday, saying the spending patterns did not align with Pennsylvania's financial realities. Lawmakers will debate the plan and determine its outcome.

Justin Simmons, who served a decade in the Pennsylvania House, is the first Republican to announce a bid for the county’s top job.

Ron W. Beitler is seeking reelection to the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners, he announced in a news release Tuesday.

At a North Whitehall Township Board of Supervisors meeting, residents showed up to voice concerns around the planned Nexus 78 project, and asked why they weren't being told more about it.

Whitehall Township Commissioners detailed an ordinance to initiate a referendum on the upcoming ballot to amend the township charter to eliminate the treasurer position.

Residents can comment on a draft of the 2025-2029 Pennsylvania Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, or SCORP, through March 3. There's a public input form, as well as scheduled webinars.

Three former Public Utility Commission chairmen say PPL is changing its tune on utility-owned generation. They say the Allentown-based utility company unnecessarily wants consumers to fund its power generation venture and profits.

David Isaiah Rivera, 26, was arraigned on charges alleging he fired at a group of people around 4 a.m. outside BKK Lounge, 1500 Union Boulevard, after a fight between two groups inside the club spilled into the parking lot.

A 32-year-old man died and three other people were wounded in a shooting in the parking lot of BKK Lounge, 1500 Union Blvd., early Sunday, according to Allentown police. It was the city's first homicide of 2025.

Many interchanges on Route 22 and Route 309 are badly outdated, leaving drivers to navigate increasingly unsafe roads. PennDOT has plans to address several of them, including trouble spots in Fullerton and Center Valley.

Changes in fare collection are coming this month for LANTA bus riders in the Lehigh Valley.

Cupid Foundations Inc. opened its design studio, CupidIntimates, on West Lehigh Street in Bethlehem in 1987. It's still designing original shapewear that it manufactures and sells in department stores and other national retailers.

Dry Goods, a Davenport, Iowa, subsidiary of the family-owned Von Maur Department Stores, sells apparel, shoes, jewelry and accessories.

Farmers markets add to the local economy, driving tourism, officials said. Supporting them is also important for farmland preservation and strengthening community, advocates say.

“Cutting Edge: Inventive Nineteenth-Century Quilts” opens Saturday, Aug. 9. The new exhibit explores over 30 unique quilts from Arlan and Pat Christ’s collection and will run through Oct. 26. Admission is free.

"I would love to have a weekend free of crash-related deaths, and I am certain families would appreciate their loved ones returning home safely," Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio said Friday.

More than a month past the budget deadline, Lehigh Valley state Sens. Jarrett Coleman and Nick Miller offered little optimism a deal was around the corner.

The proposal will be the subject of a committee-of-the-whole meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 13 in City Hall.

In June, North Whitehall supervisors rejected plans for a 500,000-square-foot warehouse called Nexus 78. The proposal could return from the dead, after developers filed a land use appeal in Lehigh County Court.

Between delayed state funding and federal cuts, Second Harvest Food Bank does not have enough food to meet demand, its leaders say.

Allentown's 111th annual Romper Day celebration was held at J. Birney Crum Stadium on Monday night. About 400 students who participated in the summer playground program exhibited skills including dance and calisthenics.

Lehigh Country Controller Mark Pinsley criticized President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie for gutting the social safety net and Democratic leaders for failing to offer effective resistance.