Northampton County News

A recycling facility at 799 Smith Lane in Northampton Borough caught fire Tuesday morning. The fight to extinguish it could stretch into Wednesday, officials said.

A contentious land-use battle is underway, and it's headed to the Pennsylvania's Environmental Hearing Board. Both sides are confident they'll win.

Nazareth-based Martin Guitar will showcase new guitars, including an acoustic double-neck, at the National Association of Music Merchants trade show in Anaheim this week.

School directors had to choose from seven options for updating Moore Elementary, ranging in cost from $15.5 million to $70 million.

At least a half-dozen popular Lehigh Valley restaurants permanently closed their doors or released plans to shift operations in the final months of 2024.

The project, beginning today, includes rebuilding the stream bank. Officials said increased public interest and use, climate change and more frequent high-water events have significantly eroded it.

Jared Isaacman, a tech billionaire who lives in the Lehigh Valley and conducted the first private spacewalk, was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday to lead NASA.

School directors tabled a vote on whether to renovate or rebuild Moore Elementary School. They will narrow down the options at their next facilities committee meeting later this month.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day of increased charitable donations. Local nonprofit organizations such as Second Harvest Food Bank and the American Red Cross hope to benefit from the increased generosity the day brings.

Lehigh Township volunteer firefighters shared the obstacles they faced fighting a 600-acre fire that erupted on Blue Mountain. Almost a month later, it's still not technically out.

Schweyer, chairman of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee, said the department handles many important functions for public K-12 schools and higher education institutions.

Impaired driving is among the most persistent threats to road safety in the Lehigh Valley, according to two of the region's chief prosecutors. Lehigh County recorded about 1,750 impaired-driving cases in 2024, up almost 42% over the past five years.

Courts weigh the benefits of punishing drivers for their actions and helping them recover from underlying issues that may have led them to drive impaired, according to the region's chief prosecutors.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Environment Committee on Tuesday reviewed plans to update sewage infrastructure in two municipalities.

National politics often makes headlines, but former Bethlehem mayor Bob Donchez says municipal government impacts its residents more. This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell dives into what goes on inside local government with Donchez.

Increased stress due to everyday life, like politics or the economy, coupled with habitual, risky behaviors distracting the driver from the road, can create a slippery slope, ripe for crashes, experts said. Plus, those risky behaviors are far more common than the average driver would think.

Organizations such as colleges, local governments and non-profits are encouraged to apply for funding under Congress's Community Project Funding program. The Lehigh Valley has secured tens of millions in funding through federal discretionary spending in recent years.

An influx of residents and warehouses have made highways in Lehigh and Northampton counties more crowded. An analysis by LehighValleyNews.com finds some stretches of road have experienced increases of 40% to 50% in traffic volume, with Route 33 overtaking Interstate 78 as the region's second-busiest highway.

A recent bald eagle rehabilitation and release is a bright spot amid a dangerous time for bald eagles in the Lehigh Valley and the rest of the commonwealth. Bird flu continues to threaten wild bird populations, causing more than a dozen bald eagles to be euthanized across Pennsylvania.

A five-part series this week will explore traffic and transportation issues in the Lehigh Valley. Increasing traffic volume, dangerous driving and insufficient infrastructure are among the topics examined.

The first-of-its-kind report, “Wildlife Corridors: How reconnecting habitats is protecting Pennsylvania’s native species," highlights 10 innovative wildlife corridor projects around the state.

Democratic VIPs including U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, DNC Chair Ken Martin and former U.S. Rep. Susan Wild attended the town hall at Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Thursday night. The evening came with a rebuke to attendees from the church pastor.