Lehigh County News

National politics often makes headlines, but former Bethlehem mayor Bob Donchez says municipal government impacts its residents more. This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell dives into what goes on inside local government with Donchez.

Lehigh Gap Nature Center from Feb. 14-16 held its annual Lehigh Gap Area Feeder Watch. The long-term research project focuses on monitoring winter bird populations.

Increased stress due to everyday life, like politics or the economy, coupled with habitual, risky behaviors distracting the driver from the road, can create a slippery slope, ripe for crashes, experts said. Plus, those risky behaviors are far more common than the average driver would think.

Organizations such as colleges, local governments and non-profits are encouraged to apply for funding under Congress's Community Project Funding program. The Lehigh Valley has secured tens of millions in funding through federal discretionary spending in recent years.

The Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital on Monday received a check in the amount of $114,676 from Spirit Halloween, a national costume retailer, for its Child Life Program. The amount increased the retailer's donation to the program over $1 million since 2012.

Aleah Nothstein, of Boot Scootin' with Aleah, teaches line dancing in New Tripoli and Bethlehem with her beau, DJ Mullet.

An influx of residents and warehouses have made highways in Lehigh and Northampton counties more crowded. An analysis by LehighValleyNews.com finds some stretches of road have experienced increases of 40% to 50% in traffic volume, with Route 33 overtaking Interstate 78 as the region's second-busiest highway.

A recent bald eagle rehabilitation and release is a bright spot amid a dangerous time for bald eagles in the Lehigh Valley and the rest of the commonwealth. Bird flu continues to threaten wild bird populations, causing more than a dozen bald eagles to be euthanized across Pennsylvania.

A five-part series this week will explore traffic and transportation issues in the Lehigh Valley. Increasing traffic volume, dangerous driving and insufficient infrastructure are among the topics examined.

Justin Simmons, the former Republican state representative, was among three people who filed nomination papers last week to seek the party's nomination in the May 20 primary election.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission hosted a community forum on discrimination and other issues at the Allentown Public Library on Monday night.

A doggy day care in Alburtis made a donation to the ambulance corps to ensure the area's furry friends are okay in the face of a fire.

The state Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public hearing from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in Bethlehem to take public testimony about Keystone Cement Co.’s hazardous waste permit renewal application.

The American Association of University Professors is looking into allegations that Maura Finkelstein, a professor at Muhlenberg College, was terminated based on her views regarding Zionism and Palestine.

Earlier this month, the group announced its sixth Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Award, this one for construction-rehabilitation at the former Laros Silk Mill, now known as Laros Lofts, along the eastern end of Broad Street.

One of the Zoo's longest-tenured residents, the 20-year-old, 2,000-pound bison died Friday.

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg and mental health experts advocated for an increased investment in school-based health clinics at a news conference at Hays Elementary School in Allentown on Friday.

Join Megan Frank at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. every Friday for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week, she's joined by Digital News Content Producer's Stephanie Sigafoos and Makenzie Christman.

Lehigh Valley Planning Commission praised the in-progress multi-municipal plans at its first in-person meeting since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020.

A fall appreciation event gave those at Miller-Keystone Blood Center the chance to say “thank you” to those who give blood. It’s the first time they’ve been able to host an event like this since the pandemic.

A Vermont-based company called BETA Technologies plans to build chargers at Lehigh Valley International Airport to power both electric aircraft and plug-in cars, officials said Thursday.

A Lehigh County judge sentenced Rami Abouloh to life in prison Thursday for fatally shooting his wife and wounding a man in a Whitehall Township park in 2023.