Lehigh County News

Lehigh Valley went to the polls Tuesday for the Pennsylvania primary election, but voters were hard to find throughout the day. Poll workers and observers reported a trickle of a turnout at districts in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

The Lehigh Valley Comprehensive Planning Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved an application from the Parkland School District for a 12,832-square-foot addition to the second floor of the new operations center currently under construction at 2619 Stadium Road in Orefield.

Parkland School Board last week appointed Kelly Bracetty as the new Girls and Boys Cross Country Coach for the 2024-25 school year.

Pennsylvania has been holding elections using no-excuse mail voting since 2019, and the state has steadily moved from persistent delays in reporting results to relatively quick turnarounds. This has been accomplished mostly thanks to workers’ increasing familiarity with the mail process, and state grants allowing counties to upgrade their equipment.

Fahy Commons was named the first project in the world to achieve a rigorous sustainability certification for buildings that reward projects for more energy than they use. The 20,000-square-foot, three-floor building cost $13.2 million and opened to students last January.

Speakers at the Sportsmen for Dave rally in North Whitehall Township on Monday painted a bleak picture of America. Righting the country would require Republicans like Donald Trump and David McCormick to win their races this November, they said.

The unknown cause of a massive fire that destroyed Doctor Diesel trucking company in North Whitehall Township early Monday morning is under investigation.

“Public Participation, Public Power: A Community Guide to Local Land Use Decision-Making in Pennsylvania" was released Monday. The almost-100-page guide includes explanations of state and local land use laws and more.

Registered Democrats and Republicans will pick their candidates for president, Congress and the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday. There are few contested races, but that will change in November's general election.

Discussion on the proposed construction of a Wawa at MacArthur Road and Mickley Road was among several projects tabled by the Whitehall Township Planning Commission last week.

Critics of the hiring process argued for a superintendent search instead of a direct appointment. Others said Karen Trinkle had more than proven herself ready to lead, and a search would be lengthy and costly.

This week on Lehigh Valley Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick discuss the political implications of affordable housing.

Bob Brooks, a retired Bethlehem firefighter, became the fifth Democrat to enter the race for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. The primary election winner in next year's midterm race will take on U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, the Republican incumbent.

If state Rep. Josh Siegel wins the 2025 Lehigh County executive race, it would trigger a possible special election for Pennsylvania's 22nd state House District. Things get complicated from there.

A judge on Monday set a status conference hearing regarding an Allentown developer’s lawsuit against the City of Allentown over issues with a homeless encampment near his residential property near Jordan Creek.

Ethan Ake-Little has been suspended with pay since June while the district investigated allegations about his job performance. Ake-Little previously filed discrimination, retaliation and fraud complaints against the former superintendent.

The one-vehicle crash occurred late Sunday at Route 100 and Lyon Valley Road in Lowhill Township.

Two grieving mothers honor their sons killed in Lehigh Valley motorcycle crashes, urging drivers to be cautious and look twice for riders as fatalities surge on area roads.

The new Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Regional Music Awards has an official website, and is taking nominations for its first ceremony later this year.

A torpedo memorial was dedicated at VFW Egypt Post in Whitehall on Friday to honor submarine veterans who died during World War II.

In a petition filed Aug. 15, BusPatrol asked Lehigh County Court to overturn a decision by the state Office of Open Records, which ruled the district must provide an unredacted copy of the contract and related documents to LehighValleyNews.com within 30 days.

Five of the farms are in Northampton County and four in Lehigh County. They were among 33 farms across the state approved this month for Pennsylvania's Farmland Preservation Program.