Lehigh County News

Nonprofits catering to LGBTQ+ people in the Lehigh Valley are doing what they can to push back on recent executive actions, support their community and fight for their survival as organizations, their leaders say.

PennDOT has plans to improve the pavement and add truck climbing lanes in both Lehigh and Northampton counties. But the future of a controversial interchange in Lehigh County has grown more clouded.

The former reality star was the first DJ to spin at the new upscale lounge on the lower level of the historic hotel.

Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners have until March 29 to fill the vacancy and will conduct public interviews with candidates on Monday starting at 6 p.m.

Forest Touchberry, 31, was pronounced dead Thursday at 3:29 p.m. in the emergency department of St. Luke’s Hospital, Sacred Heart Campus, according to Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio.

Sen. Nick Miller, D-14th District, was a member of a panel discussion about the home health care crisis. Advocates are urging lawmakers to increase reimbursement fees to home care agencies.

Lehigh Valley native Danielle Meyers, 22, is among 190 million women worldwide with endometriosis, a chronic, incurable tissue abnormality that causes a host of painful internal problems.

Staff from Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center took the drive to feed and water the bird, a Micronesian kingfisher, before its rescheduled flight. The rare bird is native to Guam.

A handful of Lehigh Valley farms are feeling the impact of the federal funding freeze. It's also causing a Harrisburg nonprofit focused on sustainable agriculture to announce furloughs starting next month.

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley hosted a town hall to detail how federal budget cuts could impact Medicaid care in Lehigh County on Tuesday.

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture on Wednesday held virtual town hall focused on the current freeze on U.S. Department of Agriculture grants earmarked for farmers implementing climate-smart production practices.

The board on Wednesday voted to correct the one-character mistake and schedule the amended bill for a second reading and vote at its next meeting April 9.

Schweyer, chairman of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee, said the department handles many important functions for public K-12 schools and higher education institutions.

The North Whitehall Township Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend waiving the land development approval process for a proposed new barn at the Lehigh Valley Zoo.

Impaired driving is among the most persistent threats to road safety in the Lehigh Valley, according to two of the region's chief prosecutors. Lehigh County recorded about 1,750 impaired-driving cases in 2024, up almost 42% over the past five years.

Courts weigh the benefits of punishing drivers for their actions and helping them recover from underlying issues that may have led them to drive impaired, according to the region's chief prosecutors.

Lehigh County Judge Melissa Pavlack on Monday ruled that Whitehall Township Commissioner Thomas Slonaker did not file a statement of financial interest with the township prior to the March 11 filing deadline, rendering his ballot for treasurer/tax collector invalid.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Environment Committee on Tuesday reviewed plans to update sewage infrastructure in two municipalities.

National politics often makes headlines, but former Bethlehem mayor Bob Donchez says municipal government impacts its residents more. This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell dives into what goes on inside local government with Donchez.

Lehigh Gap Nature Center from Feb. 14-16 held its annual Lehigh Gap Area Feeder Watch. The long-term research project focuses on monitoring winter bird populations.

Increased stress due to everyday life, like politics or the economy, coupled with habitual, risky behaviors distracting the driver from the road, can create a slippery slope, ripe for crashes, experts said. Plus, those risky behaviors are far more common than the average driver would think.

Organizations such as colleges, local governments and non-profits are encouraged to apply for funding under Congress's Community Project Funding program. The Lehigh Valley has secured tens of millions in funding through federal discretionary spending in recent years.