Lehigh County News

Parkland School Board last week appointed Kelly Bracetty as the new Girls and Boys Cross Country Coach for the 2024-25 school year.

Pennsylvania has been holding elections using no-excuse mail voting since 2019, and the state has steadily moved from persistent delays in reporting results to relatively quick turnarounds. This has been accomplished mostly thanks to workers’ increasing familiarity with the mail process, and state grants allowing counties to upgrade their equipment.

Fahy Commons was named the first project in the world to achieve a rigorous sustainability certification for buildings that reward projects for more energy than they use. The 20,000-square-foot, three-floor building cost $13.2 million and opened to students last January.

Speakers at the Sportsmen for Dave rally in North Whitehall Township on Monday painted a bleak picture of America. Righting the country would require Republicans like Donald Trump and David McCormick to win their races this November, they said.

The unknown cause of a massive fire that destroyed Doctor Diesel trucking company in North Whitehall Township early Monday morning is under investigation.

“Public Participation, Public Power: A Community Guide to Local Land Use Decision-Making in Pennsylvania" was released Monday. The almost-100-page guide includes explanations of state and local land use laws and more.

Registered Democrats and Republicans will pick their candidates for president, Congress and the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday. There are few contested races, but that will change in November's general election.

Discussion on the proposed construction of a Wawa at MacArthur Road and Mickley Road was among several projects tabled by the Whitehall Township Planning Commission last week.

A Lehigh County judge ruled in favor of Core5 Industrial Partners’ request to have its final plan for a warehouse given "deemed approval" status, despite Lowhill Township supervisors’ denial.

A new outdoor air quality monitoring project is coming to Allentown this summer. The data collected through the initiative, officials said, will help inform decision-making to improve residents’ health in the city, known for its poor air quality.

Brenda Rodriguez, 51, of Palmerton is charged with criminal solicitation/criminal homicide and conspiracy-aggravated assault in the shooting death of her husband, Hector Manuel Garcia Gomez, 46, of Palmerton on Dec. 7.

Continued economic growth for the Lehigh Valley was predicted during at “Sizing Up 2025: Lehigh Valley Economic Outlook” at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks on Tuesday. The event, presented by Truist and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, featured speakers who shared a positive economic picture of the Lehigh Valley and the nation.

Nassim Younes suffered a traumatic brain injury in the accident Jan. 4, 2002, according to the coroner, who ruled his death an accident.

Authorities applied for the warrant after the employee declined to provide a voluntary DNA sample Jan. 14 during an interview with an FBI agent, according to court documents.

PPL Electric Utilities' President Christine Martin says Pennsylvania needs to allow changes in the energy sector or risk widening the gap between between supply and demand for consumers.

Applications are open for the DCNR's Community Conservation Partnerships Program. Funding supports projects to develop new parks, rehabilitate existing spaces and protect vital natural habitats.

A farm in Lehigh County has tested positive for HPIA, according to a news release Monday from the state Department of Agriculture. A response team is in place and the farm has been quarantined, officials said.

Joshua and Tracy Dechant were charged Sunday with two felony counts each, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said in a release.

State officials announced the theme for this year’s annual tick-themed art contest, “Protect. Check. Remove.” Last year, there were no winners in the Lehigh Valley.

Emmaus is one step closer to remediating two of its PFAS-contaminated wells. PFAS are also called "forever chemicals" because they are slow to breakdown in the environment and are linked to a variety of health issues.

“We’ve had about 13 customer calls for no water since Monday, with six of them coming in this morning,” Susan Sampson, LCA communications manager, said Thursday.

According to a release, John C. Miles, of Palmerton, Carbon County, has been charged in the incident that took place Monday, Nov. 11, 2024.