Northampton County News

As 2023 draws to a close, lehighvalleynews.com offers a retrospective of a variety of stories about people, places and things that make the Lehigh Valley special.

Northampton Area Board of Education said it would have been on the hook for about $9.5 million if construction contracts were cancelled for a new elementary school.

Chances are, you'll still be able to find a tree, it just might take a little extra work — and you might want to get it soon. Roger from Unangst Tree Farms explains the ins and outs of why this problem, a decade in the making, is now causing tree farms and stands to sell-out when it's barely December.

The Upper Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors Wednesday voted against rezoning land for a new industrial park next to Nazareth Area Intermediate School. Representatives for the developer said they may try again in the future.

Three Republican school board members are now part of the panel governing Nazareth schools, including two endorsed by the Moms for Liberty Northampton County chapter.

A state mandate requiring schools to identify sexual content in books could cost Lehigh Valley school districts significant time, money and resources.

Jeff Dailey was a 2004 graduate of Notre Dame High School and held its all-time scoring record for almost 20 years. He died in a fire in 2007 while attending East Stroudsburg University. On Friday night, hundreds turned out to pay homage to his legacy and family.

On display are Baez's guitars, artwork, personal letters and other items on loan from the singer.

Most unofficial election results remain the same in Northampton County, but one school board race has shifted after nearly all emergency ballots were counted Thursday.

While moderate Republicans and Democrats prevailed in most races, two Moms for Liberty candidates won seats on the Nazareth Area school board in Northampton County.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with Molly Bilinski and Brian Myszkowski.

A team of students from Bangor Area High School placed ninth in this year's statewide Envirothon competition, essentially a scholastic scrimmage for environmental science. The team placed first for the wildlife station.

A blaze that broke out on Memorial Day in the 900 block of Ferry Street in Easton burned more than 4 hours and went to six alarms before it was declared under control.

In a map released Thursday, nearly the entire state of Pennsylvania was designated as “abnormally dry” by the U.S. Drought Monitor. The status is a precursor to drought and is likely to worsen over the next couple of weeks.

The board voted unanimously in favor of both requests, allowing one township couple to build a certain sized deck on their property, and a local school to complete one of its projects without a snag.

The cost of the Upper Mount Bethel Preserve project is estimated at $2.1 million, it was disclosed at a public meeting of the final plan on Wednesday night.

All primary results in Lehigh and Northampton counties are now official after election workers ran audits and validated totals over the past two weeks.

A red fox in Northampton County earlier this month became the first mammal in the Lehigh Valley to contract bird flu.

A housing facility for inmates with severe mental illness is now open in Northampton County. The Shiloh Restoration Center will have 8-beds and provide mental and behavioral health support.

Anglers say Bushkill Creek has a history of receding, leaving hundreds of fish to their death.

The Archie Project is leading efforts to raise $1.5 million for interior restorations at the historic home of Archibald Johnston, the city's first mayor.

Melanie Biringer launched her business, Constellation Station, this year with a mobile planetarium is designed to offer physical accessibility to children and give back to the special needs community.