Lehigh County News

The Annual Pennsylvania Wild Turkey Sighting Survey, which began Tuesday, aims to track population trends across the state for a bird that once almost went extinct in the U.S.

The gunman showed up uninvited at a gathering outside a borough home late on the Fourth of July, borough police said. He fled after shooting three people as well as apparently accidentally shooting himself in the leg, the police chief said. The 18-year-old is being charged with several assault and weapons crimes.

There are 51 stops on this year’s trail. In its eighth year, the trail is focused on celebrating local creameries across the state while driving business during the summer months.

Legislators worked to establish penalties for xylazine use and trafficking in an attempt to lessen its presence in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. Some say doing so made way for a new, unclassified veterinary tranquilizer to take its place — medetomidine.

The tax and spending plan drew praise from Republicans for lowering taxes and funding border security, but Democrats condemned it for slashing Medicaid coverage and raising the deficit.

In a move that Santander Bank said aligns with the financial institution's digital shift nationwide, seven Lehigh Valley branches will be sold to Community Bank. Branches will remain open and employees will be offered continued employment during the transition, which is expected to complete by the end of the year,

South Whitehall Township's board of commissioners voted Wednesday to purchase upgraded radios for first responders in the township through a five-year payment plan provided by Lehigh County.

Nearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market.

Allentown's Redevelopment Authority is applying for up to $2.5 million that could be used to rehab 10 single-family homes for low-income residents.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

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.

A 20-something eighth-generation farmer a few states away bestows the Lehigh Valley with a meaningful, restored artifact.

River Crossing YMCA announced it will manage the pool, at 3900 Jacoby Road, Coopersburg for the 2025 season. The pool will operate May 24 through Sept. 1, and be open noon-8 p.m. for general summer swim memberships.

Team Pennsylvania on National Agriculture Day released “The Pennsylvania Agriculture Economic Analysis 2025.” The report takes a deep data dive into the commonwealth’s agriculture sector from 2012-2022.

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

On Wednesday in Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity continued her cross-state tour of informing residents about Money Match, a program that returns unclaimed money and property that belongs to them.

A Republican candidate who had filed a nomination petition withdrew that petition this week amid a challenge. That means the primary ballot for Allentown mayor will include two Democrats and no Republicans.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday approved its staff review of the proposed Executive Education Academy Charter School multi-sport stadium project. It now goes to the Allentown Planning Commission.

Jason Krasley, 48, was released Thursday on unsecured $100,000 bail in each case, which means he did not have to post any money, court records show.