Northampton County News

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.

The fire began early Saturday afternoon near Route 248 in Lehigh Township in Northampton County and burned through the night. Numerous aircraft and heavy equipment joined Sunday to help fight the fire, which was not yet been significantly contained. No injuries were reported.

The race to represent northern Northampton County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives pits a newcomer to politics against an incumbent Republican seeking her third term in Harrisburg.

A $37.2 million bond is required to fund the ongoing construction of the new school and an administration building at Route 329 and Seemsville Road.

Two Lehigh Valley area houses of worship have been selected to receive state funding meant to bolster their security as announced by state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton/Lehigh.

Lehigh Valley space enthusiasts connect with experts at the second annual Space Fest, held at Lafayette College

Halloween festivities begin Oct. 13 with more parades following suit. The earliest trick-or-treat night begins Oct. 18, and most take place on Halloween.

North Bethlehem Little League is hosting the Pennsylvania State Little League Intermediate 50/70 Tournament through Monday. The local team dropped its opening-round game on Thursday night, but remains alive in the tourney.

For decades, the land that is now Green Knight Industrial Park in Wind Gap, Plainfield Twp. and Bushkill Twp. contained a pile of 2,000,000 tires. On Thursday, officials cut the ribbon on the park's first completed building, a 50,000-square-foot warehouse.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission issued 19 recommendations for PPL Electric to improve upon, including fixing its poor customer service and restoring power to customers faster following an outage.

Allen Jahmell Grimes, 18, of Bethlehem, charged in the Feb. 28 shooting of a woman in the 400 block of Cherokee Street in South Bethlehem, was extradited from New York City after being caught by U.S. Marshals.

While the Easton Police Department only took a few phone calls over fireworks complaints for July 4, it appears citizens and city council are riled up over the nuisance and danger tied to the explosives.

Hellertown Borough's historical society touts the Heller-Wagner Grist Mill, located along West Walnut Street, as one of the oldest landmarks in town. The mill operated into the 1950s.

Northampton County officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for a new maintenance building for groundskeepers, replacing a more-than-century-old wooden barn the Parks Department currently uses.

School directors said there's still time to keep the discussion going on how Saucon Valley School District and two other local districts will fund the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School for the next 30 years.

A Philadelphia man was apprehended and charged Wednesday in the 2023 shooting death of a man in the parking lot of an Easton convenience store, officials said.

Funding was awarded through the Lehigh Valley Greenways Mini Grant Program. The program aims to protect and promote natural resources through the implementation of ready-to-go, single-year projects.

With other communities around the state adopting bans on plastic bags, Lower Saucon could be on its way to something similar. if approved, it would involve a transition process to show shoppers the bigger picture and give time for businesses to properly offload plastic bags on hand.

Allentown and Easton have been paired with an engineering company to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. It's Allentown's first time, but Easton's second, in the program.