Northampton County News

Drake Bell, best known for his starring roles on Nickelodeon’s “The Amanda Show” with Amanda Bynes from 1999-02, and “Drake & Josh” from 2004-07, will perform at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Gin Mill and Grille, at 1750 Main St., Northampton.

Check out a roundup of activities, places, and times to see the fireworks as the Lehigh Valley celebrates Independence Day.

Turkish candy company Kervan celebrated a groundbreaking for a new warehouse, manufacturing, and office space off Commerce Park Drive at the border of Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth townships.

Police said Amir Sims-Watson, 17, opened fire on a group of pedestrians in Allentown before robbing a woman at gunpoint at Trexler Middle School. Two other teens are charged in the shooting.

The district will operate four elementary schools in the 2026-27 school year when East Allen Elementary opens. Moore Elementary will be closed, but the district will keep the property for potential use.

Northampton Area School Board voted 5-4 for the spending plan. Some school directors said the tax hike was too high and the district should have cut more expenses.

Nazareth Area School District on Tuesday approved a $117 million budget with a 2.95% tax increase for 2025-26, though not without some opposition.

Sister started colorectal cancer awareness fundraiser last year for her brother, who loved cars and cookies and died too young from the disease.

Governor Josh Shapiro, joined by local and state politicians, spoke out in support of mass transit investments for the betterment of the Commonwealth, at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hecktown Oaks Thursday.

Montgomery County-based Teeze became Roughhouse and hit it big on MTV in the 1980s. Now they're back together and playing their original album tonight at The Gin Mill in Northampton Borough.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, provided the last needed signature to force a vote on a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits. Unless a last-minute agreement is reached, millions of Americans would see their health care premiums double in the new year.

The Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority will reduce services starting Jan. 26, and is proposing its first base cash fare increase in 17 years. A public meeting on the new fare structure is set for next month in Bethlehem.

The state Game Commission is coordinating a response, which includes "safe removal, testing and disposal" of the impacted birds.

Vice President JD Vance visited Uline Shipping Supplies in the Alburtis area and made a surprise stop at the Allentown Rescue Mission in his first trip to the Lehigh Valley since becoming President Trump's second-in-command.

In addition to advancing the sewage plan, committee members also discussed the ongoing trail gap inventory and analysis, as well as voted in next year's chair and vice chair.

Forks Township Police Chief Michael Friel announced his retirement from the force in a Facebook post Sunday — several days after township supervisors considered a separation agreement with the 23-year department veteran.

The $39.95 promotional pricing reinforces "the company’s commitment to providing safe, reliable and affordable transportation for its passengers," Trans-Bridge said.

“Every time someone makes the intentional decision to get behind the wheel intoxicated, they endanger every person they encounter on the roadway,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “I have seen far too many tragedies caused by completely avoidable vehicle crashes rooted to DUI.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro has swung his support to firefighter union leader Bob Brooks ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District has five Democrats competing for the chance to challenge Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.

Vice President JD Vance will swing through the Lehigh Valley on Tuesday as the Republican Party courts voters ahead of the midterm election. The Lehigh Valley and the surrounding area are ripe with swing voters who could flip control of the U.S. House in next year's election.

The latest update from Lehigh Valley Breathes compares local air monitoring data to existing regulatory standards in the United States, as well as the air quality guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization.

A crop farm in Northampton County was included in the latest round of Pennsylvania's Farmland Preservation Program. Twenty-seven other farms across the state also were preserved.