Lehigh County News

'A Community Conversation: The Road Ahead' will feature several guests discussing Lehigh Valley traffic and transportation issues. It will start at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at the Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last week launched the Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction grant program. Aimed at schools and childcare facilities, the program is focused on testing for, and remediating, lead in drinking water.

Lehigh Valley business experts said it's too soon to determine how President Donald Trump's across-the-board tariffs of 10% or more will affect the economy but acknowledged that stakes are high.

Miller-Keystone Blood Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to introduce its newest bloodmobile, Bloodhound I — among four new vehicles planned to be put into service over the next year.

“I want to warn everybody there are a lot of procrastinators out there, and our driver's license centers are having real serious issues with lines and people showing up before they even open,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said Tuesday.

This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell is joined by political scientist Chris Borick to talk about the department, its standing in American politics and its future.

Lehigh County Coroner’s Office is looking for families of cremated remains it has held — some for as long as 37 years.

John Joseph Sweeney, 50, was operating a motorcycle struck by a vehicle going southbound in the northbound lanes, Coroner Dan Buglio said in a release.

President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency canceled Pennsylvania’s $13 million contract with the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program. A pandemic-era program, farmers were paid to supply local food banks with fresh produce.

A 50-year-old man driving a motorcycle was pronounced dead after a crash on I-476 Sunday morning, according to a release from the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. The driver of the vehicle suffered minor injuries and another man was taken to a local hospital for his injuries.

“Without their continued partnership and assistance, the outcomes of last night’s incidents would have been much different,” Capt. Jonathan Hammel said of mutual aid provided to Allentown Fire Department and city residents.

Subclade K, the new flu variant, emerged after U.S. pharmaceutical companies developed their vaccines for the current flu season.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, and 16 other Republicans voted for a Democratic bill to extend tax credits for the Affordable Care Act on Thursday night. Mackenzie called on senators to reject the House version but find a deal to keep the credits and reform the health care system.

A spokesperson for The Giant Company said the supermarket chain is transitioning to store-based fulfillment and discontinuing centralized fulfillment at its Giant Direct centers. The company is closing five centers in Pennsylvania, including one in Coopersburg, by April.

The victim, 29-year-old Rigiberto Hernandez Arias of Allentown, died Nov. 21 after being run over near Emaus Avenue and South Fourth Street in Allentown. An Amazon delivery driver, 30-year-old Troy Johnson, is in Lehigh County Jail on $500,000 bail.

Kirk Chin Jr., 37, of Pottstown, Montgomery County, is charged with misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving.

This week's episode welcomes former Lehigh Valley representatives in the U.S. House. Susan Wild and Charlie Dent join host Tom Shortell to discuss campaigning and the stakes in PA's 7th District.

The 110th PA Farm Show opens this weekend in Harrisburg. While this year's theme is “Growing a Nation,” officials are also spotlighting the crucial role of women in agriculture.

Aiden Gonzalez, of Bethlehem, is the latest Democratic candidate looking to represent Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.

Taylor Stakes and Lee Christman were sworn in as new board members.

Lehigh County Commissioner Geoff Brace was re-elected as board chairman for a sixth year during the commissioners' reorganization meeting Monday.

Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel took the oath of office at the Cumberland Gardens public housing complex. Siegel has made affordable housing a priority for his administration at a time when Americans grapple with rising costs and the Lehigh Valley faces a housing crisis.