Lehigh County News

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, has organized a food drive while pinning the ongoing government shutdown on Senate Democrats. SNAP benefits that help feed millions of low-income Americans are hours away from expiring.

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.

A rezoning proposal that would clear the way for an apartment and commercial/retail space project in Bethlehem was reviewed by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday night.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure says he'll run for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District seat in 2026, seeking to bring the seat back under Democratic control.

The hourlong program focuses on how the Trump administration's new efforts to crack down on immigration are affecting the Lehigh Valley.

Mark Pinsley also plans to publish a series of “plain-language reports” about how billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to cut the federal government will affect local municipalities, services and programs.

The North Whitehall Township Planning Commission reviewed updated plans Tuesday for a 110-home subdivision along Rising Sun Road.

The East Penn School District's board voted Monday to create a three-year LERTA property tax incentive for an 8.5 acre brownfield in Emmaus. The lot is set to become 144 apartments.

The Whitehall-Coplay School Board on Monday accepted a letter of retirement from Director of Athletics Bob Hartman. Hartman has served in that role for 23 years. His retirement is effective in August.

Projects in Lehigh and Northampton counties were approved to get state funding by the Commonwealth Financing Authority on Monday, Feb. 24. Funding for the roadway upgrades in Northampton County alone amounted to more than $1.5 million, with a project in Lehigh County bumping that total to more than $2 million.

The U.S. Government's Medicare telehealth funding deadline is March 31. While many express concerns about its future, a local expert at St. Luke's University Health Network believes the program will be extended.

The federally funded Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley served about 10,000 people last year across its five locations across the region.

Flu rates are up nationally and especially in Pennsylvania. Lehigh and Northampton counties are among the Top Ten counties with influenza cases for this year's respiratory virus season, which runs through September.

Emmaus Borough Council awarded the contracts earlier this week. The project focuses on two of the borough’s wells, including one that’s been offline since PFAS contamination was discovered.