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.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh, Monday night in his bid to defeat U.S Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.

A renewable natural gas plant adjacent to the Bethlehem Landfill opened on Tuesday morning.

A two-alarm fire broke out at an abandoned historic home where plans for a luxury apartment building lay in wait.

Interest rates are dropping, but what does that mean for home buyers in the Lehigh Valley?

The crashes were unrelated and both occurred Thursday, according to the coroner's office. Killed were a 17-year-old from Hellertown and a 34-year-old from Forks Township.

Two elementary schools and one middle school in the Bethlehem Area School District distributed free backpacks to incoming students on Friday.

Hearings began Thursday to determine whether eight Lower Saucon Township residents, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Bethlehem Township and St. Luke's Anderson Campus can sue to resurrect easements blocking the landfill's planned expansion.

The Nazareth Area School Board voted to promote Assistant Superintendent Isabel Resende to the district's top spot Tuesday evening. Resende will take over after the district approved a separation agreement with Superintendent Richard Kaskey Tuesday.

PennDOT contractors began moving in equipment onto Route 611 in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Wednesday to begin road construction. A rockslide in December 2022 shut down the road along the Monroe County-Northampton County border.

The Pen Argyl restaurant was brought into the limelight by Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy several months ago. Now it'll join Portnoy for his one-day One Bite Pizza Festival.

Wilson Borough Council and Wilson Area School District repealed a LERTA for a former project at the old Dixie Cup factory site while approving a tax increment financing plan for the property so it can be developed into a 405-unit residential apartment building.

Four farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.