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.

The former Dixie cup factory in Wilson Borough has long been a candidate for redevelopment. A developer told Northampton County Council Thursday they plan to build apartments with a dog-friendly lounge on the site.

The grand opening of Sheetz on Fourth Street in Bethlehem on Thursday was well attended. One woman drove more than an hour for her first taste of Sheetz coffee.

PennDOT intends to begin a $91.6 million reconstruction project on the Route 309-Tilghman Street interchange later this year. The interchange saw more than 200 crashes between 2018 and 2022, according to PennDOT crash data.

A county judge ordered Northampton Area School District to appoint a new school director by June 3, or the court will take review applicants for the vacancy.

Carbon County officials on Thursday will sign on to a partnership with Northampton, officials announced. Their goal is to bolster farmland preservation efforts.

An agreement between "car-sharing" company Turo and the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority won final authority approval Tuesday.

It's time for PPL Electric Utilities' annual summer rate drop. Customers who don't shop their electricity supply will see a price decrease in their rates beginning June.

Arcadia plans to tear down the SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western at 300 Gateway Drive off Route 512 and replace it with a 250,000-square-foot warehouse. If the permit is approved, developers will be allowed to discharge stormwater from construction activities into the Monocacy Creek.

The awards announced last week complete the $155 million school safety grants program package issued by the School safety and Security Committee (SSSC) in January 2024.

This was the 33rd year a ceremony was held at the Lehigh Valley Workers' Memorial at the Rose Garden in Bethlehem. The gatherings are held as part of the AFL-CIO’s nationwide campaign to reduce fatalities and injuries in workplaces.

Ryan Mackenzie pulled off a comfortable win in the Republican primary for the PA-7 congressional race. He credited an army of campaign volunteers, but his 12 years in the state House and at least $419,000 of support from a super PAC helped, too.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Friday that six persons have been charged in a large-scale burglary ring throughout the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.