Lehigh County News

Students, parents and area residents responded to a pledge by some Republican candidates to out transgender students and censor "woke" curriculum in the Southern Lehigh School District.

Rodale Institute's board of directors announced Jeff Tkach, 43, of Lower Macungie Township, will serve as the nonprofit's new CEO. He'll take the helm of the Kutztown-based organic farming research and education organization starting April 21.

The new "Flicks and Floats" events will open the pool up at night for family-friendly films, alongside the slate of concerts that will be held through the Borough.

PennDOT is tackling 37 major projects worth more than $700 million in Berks, Carborn, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton and Schuylkill counties this year.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo has three new African penguins, bringing its total colony to 14. As part of a species survival plan, zoo officials hope the birds will pair off a reproduce to bolster the endangered species.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) held a news conference at Cedarbrook Senior Care & Rehabilitation on Friday to officially announce $525,000 in federal funding he secured for the nursing home's $67 million expansion project.

An investigation has not revealed any sexual contact had occurred between Eric Gratz and the victim. Gratz has served as borough manager since August 2021.

Three people were shot and killed in a span of seven hours between Thursday night and early Friday in Allentown. The mayor called gun violence "a toxin" in the city and pushed legislators to help get guns off the street.

A judge ruled Allentown City Councilwoman Candida Affa turned in enough signatures to make the Democratic ballot. Tina Jo Koren, a Republican candidate for Whitehall Township mayor, fought off an challenge to her statement of financial interests.

Developers are seeking support from Allentown to plug a funding gap for a 49-unit affordable housing project. The city is poised to allot more than $1.8 million in federal funding for the building.

Kevin Dellicker, a Republican candidate for PA-7, said he could support federal legislation setting stricter restrictions on abortion. His opponents in the Republican primary, Ryan Mackenzie and Maria Montero, said the issue of abortion access should be left to the states. (First of five parts)

Lehigh County is pulling the Child Advocacy Center, which serves children who may have been abused, out of Lehigh Valley Health Network. The new center may lack a medical specialist in the field.

As Miller-Keystone Blood Center is set to no longer be the primary supplier of one of its largest customers, supporters are speaking out about what the nonprofit center has done for them. Blood donors, recipients and coordinators are sharing their life-saving stories.

Willow Haven Farm began its Foster a Chick program this week. Community members can take home the farm’s day-old baby chicks, take care of them for a few weeks, then return them to the farm.

In their first meeting since the passenger rail feasibility study was revealed, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission officials said it would take months for any further decisions to be made.

For the third year in a row, St. Luke's University Health Network topped health systems in Pennsylvania for charitable giving, according to the Lown Institute.

More than 350 young students throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley participated in a mural painting event at Lehigh Valley Children's Center in Allentown on Thursday.The completed mural will appear on an exterior wall of the new Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown. The center is slated for a May 22 opening.

Allentown will receive $500,000 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Multimodal Transportation Fund to extend the MLK Trail and connect it with Lehigh Parkway.

The North Whitehall Planning Commission reviewed a preliminary/final plan for Phase II of Timberidge Luxury Apartments, an apartment complex near Main Street and Levans Road that is currently under construction.

Mack Defense, a subsidiary of Mack Trucks, provides heavy duty vehicles to not only the U.S. military but allied militaries around the world. David C. Hartzell Sr., president and CEO of Mack Defense, discussed the company's commitment during a Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce event.

In a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, along with other community leaders and groups, delivered passionate pleas to help with voter turnout this year.

Upper Macungie Board of Supervisors hosted a resident workshop about its noise ordinance — the local law that governs how loud businesses and residents can be.