BETHLEHEM, Pa. — There was a lot to cover in 2025. But of the thousands of stories published on LehighValleyNews.com this year, we asked our news team not to recall the biggest ones.
Instead, we wanted to know their favorites.
From a high school club formed to help immigrant classmates to a bald eagle that found new love, here’s how our staffers responded:
Star of Bethlehem
This one seems especially appropriate this time of year. Will Oliver’s story about brightening the Bethlehem star atop South Mountain caught as much attention as the beacon itself.
“I was just driving home one day and ended up looking up at the star and kind of squinted, thinking, “Dang, something’s different up there,” he recalled. Will also enjoyed the varied – and plentiful – reactions the story brought: “Wow! Love my hometown, O Little Town of Bethlehem!!” … and … “Really? New lightbulbs? Must be a slow news day.”
Music and romance
WLVR “Morning Edition” host Brad Klein has an affinity for bluegrass music and nature. And both of those worked their way into his favorites of the year. He previewed a Bucks County performance by acoustic supergroup Phillips, Grier & Flinner – and interviewed mandolin and banjo player Matt Flinner on the radio.
When a female bald eagle that nested in Saucon Park died of suspected avian flu in February, Brad produced a story – as well as photographic evidence – about how a surviving male eagle found new love. He also produced an audio interview with ecologist Carl Safina.
Putting up a fight
Brian Myszkowski’s favorites involved residents standing up and speaking out. Folks organized against plans for a 1-million-square-foot warehouse planned off Wood Avenue in the Easton area.
And this story about owners of manufactured homes protesting rising lot rental prices inspired responses from like-minded owners across the country.
Centennial celebration
Micaela Hood recalled the September celebration of Lehigh University Art Galleries’ 100th anniversary – for both the content and the contacts.
“I have never seen Zoellner Arts Center so crowded,” she said. “As an arts and culture reporter, it’s important to know who the movers and shakers are in the creative world. That busy night allowed me to say hello to artists I had already met, plus engage in new works and network.”
‘Helping each other’
As the Trump administration cracked down on immigration in unprecedented ways, education reporter Jenny Roberts profiled a student group at Dieruff High School, Caminos de Esperanza, helping immigrant students learn English, make friends and process trauma.
She also took a deep dive into an anti-violence initiative at Raub Middle School. Her resulting story showcased the effort to alleviate the societal burdens of poverty and gun violence on students – and how the work is paying off.
Stuck in traffic
Tom Shortell kicked off what would become a yearlong project with his look at something we’re all familiar with – Lehigh Valley traffic. His analysis set the tone for The Road Ahead series and found new traffic hotspots fueled by the region’s explosion of warehouse development.
Open records battle
Managing producer Stephanie Sigafoos went on a wild ride as she dug into a school bus-stop camera system used by scores of school districts in Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. The resulting battle for open records with the Allentown School District, the city of Allentown, and system vendor BusPatrol resulted in victories for public access and inspection.
As a result, a lawmaker is proposing changes to the citation appeal process and PennDOT is establishing a system to break a logjam of thousands of unheard and unresolved citation appeals.
Of sky domes and earworms
Science & environment reporter Molly Bilinski says she loves writing about people who are passionate about what they do. That’s what she found in her story about plans for an $11 million sky dome at Nurture Nature Center in Easton.
“I also really appreciate learning on the job, and that’s how I ended up writing about corn earworms this summer,” she said. “I had never heard of them before, but I quickly found out I’ve probably picked more than one off an ear of sweet corn over my lifetime, and you probably have, too.”
It’s a story that might give you pause the next time corn on the cob is on the menu.
State budget stalemate
One of Pennsylvania’s top stories of 2025 was the Legislature’s inability to approve a budget in time for the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. Lawmakers didn’t sign off on a spending plan until mid-November – signed by Shapiro 135 days late.
Reporter Ryan Gaylor covered the impasse’s effect on county services, workers and local spending.
“The uncertainty the situation caused for county officials, employees, nonprofits, and residents depending on services -- and the reminder of how state government, local government and nonprofits work together to provide a social safety net that residents depend on -- really encapsulates the budget impasse for me and the stakes of resolving it,” he said. “At the end of the day, lines in a budget are about people.”
A mother’s quest for answers
Brittany Sweeney’s April story about a 12-year-old Nazareth boy’s struggles with PANS and PANDAS – neuro-psychiatric disorders caused by viruses and bacteria – spotlighted a mother’s instincts.
The story detailed mom Nicole Blaine’s quest to help her child and the treatment her son Matthew received.
'Miracle Community'
In Allentown, the impending shutdown of a homeless encampment along Jordan Creek left many people looking for solutions.
Reporter Jason Addy traveled to Harrisburg to check out a "safe camping" site and see how it might work in the Lehigh Valley.
