Lehigh County News

State lawmakers on Monday held a committee hearing titled “Minimizing Risk & Harm: Preparing for Pennsylvania’s Hydrogen Future.” It comes almost two months after President Joe Biden announced seven regional clean hydrogen hub projects, including two in Pennsylvania.

The state Department of Environmental Protection's Energy Programs Office will host five public engagement sessions in December, four in-person and one virtual, as officials work to create a priority climate action plan to address the negative effects of climate change.

Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority hosted its seventh year of Shop With A Cop at Catasauqua Middle School on Dec. 2.

South Whitehall Township will host its first Municipal Open House on Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will have light refreshments, including coffee, hot chocolate and cookies. There will also be giveaways of informational packets and flyers.

Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, urged the U.S. House to take an unprecedented step Thursday and expel Rep. George Santos from office for alleged misconduct.

Mark Pinsley announced Friday, Dec. 1, that he will run for auditor general in 2024. The position oversees financial and performance audits of Pennsylvania state government.

Residents from the Lehigh Valley and beyond on Thursday attended the state Department of Environmental Protection’s last public comment meeting on the commonwealth’s interim environmental justice policy. The majority said the policy doesn’t go far enough.

With rain forecast, the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce has decided to hold its annual tree lighting ceremony virtually at 6:15 p.m. Friday at Veterans Memorial Park on Main Street.

While plans for the site include homes, offices, restaurants and other facilities at the 200-acre East Side property, regulations call for at least 35%, or about 70 acres, to be preserved as open space for outdoor recreation.

A proposed business park in Schnecksville would have an AutoZone along with a Wawa and a medical office building, the developer confirmed Wednesday.

Seeking to enhance public safety, increase mobility, make streets safer for walking, cycling and public transit and have cleaner air as a result, the city is getting feedback from residents about the changes they want to see.

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild tangled over Medicare, foreign affairs and Social Security during an hourlong debate Friday at WFMZ's Salisbury Township studio.

The Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be temporarily closed this weekend, between the Pocono and Wyoming Valley interchanges. Officials say crews will be performing bridge work.

The Upper Macungie Board of Supervisors discussed a new noise ordinance for the township, but disagreed on how exactly it should be enforced.

In the first round of Neighborhood Assistance Program funding from the state, Lehigh Valley-based programs received more than $2 million.

Kian Deater, 21, was sentenced by Lehigh County Judge James T. Anthony to serve 17 ½ to 39 years in state prison on felony charges of aggravated assault with attempt to cause serious bodily injury.

Authorities have identified a Monroe County man who died Wednesday as the result of a motorcycle crash on Route 22 in Bethlehem Township.

South Whitehall Board of Commissioners on Wednesday heard a proposal for a new PJ Whelihan’s in Ridge Farms, a mixed use housing development at the intersection of Cedar Crest Boulevard and Walbert Avenue.

A dispute between the Whitehall Township Tax Office and Mayor's Administration has come to a head after legal action was threatened.

Among the winners are projects to repaint the basketball court at Building 21; build several community gardens; and plant trees.

Whitehall Tax Collector Tina Koren has been subject to "a series of possible civil rights and other violations" and is seeking legal remedies, according to the lawyer, Matthew Mobilio.

State officials announced a $1 million pool for the 2025 Environmental Education Grants Program, as well as the Nov. 15 deadline to apply. Two Lehigh Valley projects were funded in the last round.