Northampton County News

Northampton Area school directors approved the second round of financing for the East Allen Elementary School and education center project at their meeting last week.

Bethlehem Area school directors approved the purchase agreement for 315 Columbia St. in South Bethlehem at their Monday meeting. The space would serve as a satellite campus for the Bethlehem Area Vo-Tech School.

A partnership between Second Harvest Food Bank and the GIANT Company will make sure a thousand families have a Thanksgiving dinner.

Northampton Area School Board approved Kovalchik's retirement at Monday's school board meeting. It will be effective July 1.

Addison Agen, who finished second to Chloe Kohanski on the show's 13th season, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at the center at 30 E. Belvidere St., Nazareth.

State Rep. Joe Emrick won Pennsylvania's 137th House District in his battle against Democratic challenger Anna Thomas.

Republican state Rep. Zachary Mako was well on the way to defeating Democrat Joseph Lenzi to win a fifth term representing the 183rd House District.

The Gap Fire, which erupted Saturday near Route 248 in Lehigh Township, has drawn hundreds of firefighters over four days. Crews have gotten the upper hand and are now searching for and extinguishing hotspots, officials said.

Nazareth Borough Council chose to table a potential ban on backyard chickens, ducks, and other fowl so their legal committee could review the matter, after dozens of chicken supporters spoke out during their Nov. 4, 2024 meeting.

Around 10 p.m. Sunday, the evening operation was passed off to DCNR State Wildland Crews, the Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Co. said on social media. A planned backburn was underway to stop the spread of a fire burning since Saturday.

A decision on a preliminary land development plan for a new Rutter's gas station and convenience store in Palmer Township was tabled on Nov. 12, 2024, due to requests from the township for more details on the project.

Northampton County officials will sort through nearly 4,000 provisional ballots. A significant portion of them came from the polling places serving Lehigh University and Lafayette College.

The city owns the municipal golf course at 400 Illick’s Mill Road, where a building next to club parking will have “significant” space opening next year, according to a city request for proposals issued last month.

A secondary cold front Tuesday will bring little opportunity for precipitation and another day of windy conditions across the region, forecasters say, setting the stage for risk of fire spread.

Lower Saucon Township Council on Wednesday accepted a $125,000 state grant to cover some cost for a new restroom at the Reading Drive head along the Saucon Rail Trail.

Since the start of the 20th century, Northampton County has backed the winning president all but three times. It lived up to its bellwether status again by narrowly backing President-elect Donald Trump over Kamala Harris in last week's 2024 presidential election.

The Lehigh Valley is parched, again. Here's what the region needs to get out of the drought that has led to burn bans and voluntary water conservation measures.

Opening the shop is a dream come true for owner Gina Passerman, who said she got the idea during COVID-19 lockdowns. Her goal was to make a place where people can go to "spend time, enjoy each other's company, and smile and be happy."

The Blue Mountain fire, also called the Gap Fire, erupted Saturday in Lehigh Township. It's now 100% contained, officials said.

A ban on open fires in Northampton County will take effect Sunday. Charcoal and propane grills still will be allowed, along with fires in a fireplace or otherwise contained indoors.

After a polling place in South Bethlehem saw a six-hour wait to vote on Tuesday, Northampton County officials blame an unexpected jump in student turnout compared with 2020.

The red flag warning is in effect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday in both Lehigh and Northampton counties. It's the second red flag warning issued so far this month.