Lehigh County News

Christopher Fitzgerald was a former Lehigh County corrections officer and is the son of former Allentown Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald. He was the first Temple University officer killed in the line of duty.

School directors unanimously approved the $78.9 million budget at their Monday meeting.

The federal tax and spending bill, dubbed by President Donald Trump as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” includes eliminating electric vehicle tax credits after this year. Advocates called on senators to put them back.

In addition to the Kline’s Island Sewer System, or KISS, regional wastewater plan, committee members advanced the Lehigh Valley Hazard Mitigation Plan to the full commission.

If later approved by state lawmakers, the minimum wage in Bethlehem in particular would jump to $11 and would be increased incrementally each year thereafter as part of State House Bill 1150, officials said Tuesday.

Police said Amir Sims-Watson, 17, opened fire on a group of pedestrians in Allentown before robbing a woman at gunpoint at Trexler Middle School. Two other teens are charged in the shooting.

With the Lehigh Valley under an extreme heat warning through Wednesday, area doctors are urging residents to keep hydrated and stay cool.

School directors voted 5-4 to remove Emily Gehman as school board president. School director Stephen Maund was subsequently elected to serve out the rest of Gehman's leadership term, which ends in December.

The U.S. Senate could vote on the proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act this week. If passed, millions of Americans would lose access to Medicaid and SNAP benefits in order to fund border security and tax cuts to wealthy Americans.

Allentown's Christopher Roldan-Solis, 14, died Friday morning from complications of drowning, according to the Lehigh County coroner.

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.

Rajgion Davis of Whitehall, was ordered by District Judge Jacob E. Hammond at a preliminary hearing Wednesday to face homicide and two counts each of attempted murder and aggravated assault, all first-degree felonies.

The commonwealth's six-week leaf-peeping season has begun. Here's when the Lehigh Valley can expect peak colors.

Allentown’s Cleveland School is set to be knocked down and fenced off after its new owner called it a “hot spot" and "magnet for crime." Community Action Lehigh Valley is planning to build a $20 million youth center but wants to secure the property until construction can start.

Valley Youth House's THRIVE Program, which helps sex-trafficked folks, will receive $150,000 in state funding, Rep. Josh Siegel, D-22nd District, announced at a news conference on Wednesday.

LVPC officials said the footprint of a 100,000-square-foot warehouse proposed for Lowhill Township should be reduced for its impact on infrastructure and natural resources.

The industrial and transportation sectors are responsible for the largest share of the Valley's greenhouse gas emissions. The findings will form the foundation the next project, a regional Comprehensive Climate Action Plan.

The Allentown School Board approved metal detectors last year for the district's three high schools and J. Birney Crum Stadium. A public meeting is set later this week for middle school safety plans and input.

A joint enforcement detail over the weekend specifically targeted an unsanctioned car meet, a state police public information officer confirmed.

The township is in the midst of adding playgrounds to two of its parks as it also updates signs and tennis courts

Republicans have seen their numbers swell in Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, but they still lag behind the total number of registered Democrats in the state and region.

September is recognized as a time to pay homage to service dogs and the guidance they provide. Lehigh County commissioners approved a resolution in support of guide dogs and their handlers.