Northampton County News

Parental rights are on the agenda in school races as moms versus moms battle for control to set policies on book restrictions, bathrooms, transgender students and teaching history.

Nazareth school board members said they want to review the current regulations for reviewing books, concerned it's a slippery slope. Reviewing all books submitted to the district could cost more than $100,000.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

The Northampton County Department of Parks and Recreation on Friday held a free program for residents about the world’s only flying mammal, bats, at Louise Moore Park, 146 Country Club Road in Lower Nazareth Township.

The school board is expected to vote next week on a request by Moms for Liberty to ban a book. Three other written requests have also been filed.

Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity hosted a children's storytime hour sponsored by the Northampton chapter of conservative group Moms for Liberty.

Former candidate Anna Thomas is taking another run at the 137th House District seat, announcing her run on Oct. 13, 2023.

Limiting the influx of warehouses into Lower Nazareth Township is the key issue for all three candidates for Lower Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors.

The Kellyn foundation aims to bring healthier, more accessible food options to people in the area. Their mobile farmers market goes all year round and now they are working with local farms to help grow their operations.

Open space usage and preservation, zoning and the environment are the major concerns of all three candidates in the race for two open seats on the Upper Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors.

How much rain fell in the Lehigh Valley on Sunday, turning streets into raging torrents of water?

Messinger and South Main streets in Bangor turned into a waterway after downpours hit early Sunday. Said one resident: “By the grace of God we didn’t lose power and everyone is OK. That is the most important thing."

The entire Lehigh Valley will remain under a flood watch through Sunday after another round of severe storms hammered the region. Tonight's Heritage Day fireworks show in Easton is postponed again, the city announced. Bushkill Park in Forks Township and parts of the Slate Belt were flooded.

The disease, a relatively new and deadly threat to the American beech, has few treatment options and no known cure.

A couple of factors play into the slumping local market.

Body camera footage caught Phil Racciato identifying Christopher Ferrante to police as the alleged drug supplier who he says routinely provided his son Michael "Mikey" Racciato with illicit drugs.

The Bethlehem Area School Board kept secret the findings of an independent investigation paid with taxpayer funds. The probe focused on an incident involving the superintendent and a Liberty High School assistant principal at a football game. The assistant principal filed a civil rights lawsuit against Roy and the district.

Amid a firestorm of social media comments, Upper Mount Bethel's Township manager, Ed Nelson, says he understands the criticisms, and urges people to look at the bigger picture.

Prosecutors presented data pulled from the cell phones of former state champion Pen Argyl wrestler Michael Racciato and defendant Christopher Ferrante, who stands accused of providing the fentanyl that led to Racciato's death in a Lower Nazareth Township parking lot.

The new service, run by Landline and American Airlines, connects typical airport gates in Allentown with gates in Philadelphia, like any regional jet.

Lafayette College in late May submitted a replanting plan to the city after officials threatened to stop work when 46 trees were cleared from the slope without approval. It's unclear whether the plans have been approved.

Michael "Mikey" Racciato's father recounted the events leading up to his son's death in December 2020, including multiple overdoses, visits to rehab facilities and eventually discovering his son dead from a fentanyl overdose.