Lehigh County News

The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation have launched a $500,000 fundraising campaign to strengthen food access and deliver rapid relief to families in need.

In the Lehigh Valley, 105,000 people rely on SNAP benefits for food assistance. One in four of them is a child. When federal safety nets falter, the charitable food network becomes the community’s last line of defense. It requires collaboration, leadership and shared purpose.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has filed an emergency motion in Lehigh County Court requesting that a judge unseal documents in at least 22 criminal cases tied to an interstate drug ring. Among the defendants is Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi.

Ahead of Election Day, Political Pulse host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick break down what to expect, including the races to keep an eye on.

A proper complement of 31 personnel each shift and at least one new fire station are needed given current on-the-job conditions and an increase in service demand, according to new staffing-study data from International Association of Fire Fighters Local 735.

Renter mobility — or those moving place to place — dropped by 23.2% between 2018 and 2023, putting the Lehigh Valley at No. 104 out of 105 of America’s Move-Easy Hotspots.

On average, each commuter in the Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton area lost 36 hours to gridlock in 2024 and burned 12 gallons of fuel idling on congested roads, according to the 2025 Urban Mobility Report.

At a workshop meeting Monday, Lower Macungie officials reviewed plans for a commercial development along Route 100, including the region's first Sprouts Farmers Market.

State Rep. Josh Siegel has raised more than $447,000 toward his Lehigh County executive campaign since March — just short of the record Don Cunningham set in 2005. Siegel, a Democrat, has outspent Republican Roger MacLean by a nearly 10-to-1 margin this election cycle.

Whitehall Township Mayor Joseph J. Marx's proposed $36.7 million 2026 budget includes a real estate tax millage increase of 0.90.

Angry and frustrated family and friends of the late Edward Tomcics packed the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, imploring them to address the speeding epidemic on Water Street. Tomcics, 75, was struck and killed outside his home on Dec. 25. An investigation into the incident is underway.

Excelsior Farms was one of nine farms across the state recognized at the 109th PA Farm Show that have been in the same family for 100 years or more.

Authorities are investigating after the body of a 39-year-old New Jersey resident was found in a dumpster behind the Santander Bank on Saturday.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. LehighValleyNews.com spoke with local human trafficking awareness advocate Carol Andersen to learn how to be more aware of human trafficking in the region.

Joshua D. Moser was found dead in his Lehigh County Jail cell on Saturday, Jan. 11. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, but Lehigh County Coroner and the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office believe it to be a suicide.

Ten Lehigh Valley children with disabilities were presented with adaptive bikes or strollers at Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21. Each individually customized adaptive bike costs $3,500 to $4,000 and is not covered by insurance.

Walkiewicz will report to ANCOR with relevant policy happenings out of Harrisburg and help to strengthen the nationwide I/DD-services network, for both at-home and community-based services.

Sgt. Evan Weaver and former Vice officer Jason Krasley are accused of sexually assaulting the same victim between 2011 and 2015.

Less than a year after its celebratory opening, the Wawa drive-thru-only convenience store at 6216 Hamilton Blvd., Lower Macungie Township, closed on Jan. 5. No reason for the closure has been given.

Volunteers from Los Rebolcones Jeep Club and Las Motos Mamis handed out gifts to children at the first celebration held on the last night of Lights in the Parkway.

A landscape architecture firm is working on a 15-year master plan for Allentown's parks and open spaces.

Custodial and maintenance workers think the Teamsters could help them get a stronger contract when their current one expires in June. Allentown School District is recommending workers vote for no union representation.