Jason Addy
Allentown Area reporterI cover Allentown and have worked for news outlets in Pennsylvania, Chicago and Minneapolis since graduating from Penn State. It’s great to be much closer to home — I was born and raised in Lehighton — and I’m excited to help share Allentown’s stories. If you've got an idea, I want to hear it. You can reach me any time at jasona@lehighvalleynews.com.
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A city worker who is Black found a noose Friday morning as she reported to work at Allentown City Hall, according to a councilwoman. A police investigation is underway. -
Mayor Matt Tuerk called Allentown “one of the safest large cities” in Pennsylvania, citing statistics that show only Bethlehem has a lower per-capita violent-crime rate among cities with more than 50,000 residents.
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A landscape architecture firm is working on a 15-year master plan for Allentown's parks and open spaces.
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Four people were victims of homicides in Allentown last year; 19 people were killed in homicides in 2023, according to data from the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
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Only a few residents showed up Monday at a virtual meeting about how city officials will look to use federal funding on housing through 2029.
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Allentown City Council's Dec. 18 approval of the 2025 budget ensures the city will not have to return any of its $57 million ARPA grant.
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A man was carjacked at gunpoint Thursday after arranging a deal on Facebook Marketplace to sell shoes to two men, according to court documents.
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Daniel Leibensperger, 34, of Emmaus, was charged Dec. 19, the day after after his girlfriend was stabbed, authorities said Tuesday in a news release. Leibensperger's body was found Dec. 26 in Allentown's Jordan Creek.
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Allentown Parking Authority is set to buy the police substation at Tenth and Hamilton streets and sell it as part of a package deal to a developer.
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Jenna Fliszar, who owns Fliszar Law Office on Hamilton Boulevard, said her work in criminal defense, municipal law and child advocacy means she would bring “a balanced perspective to the bench.”
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City Council members this month unanimously approved a new quarter-century lease — at $1 a year — for the museum in the Little Lehigh Parkway.
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An expansion of the state’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program “delivers the largest targeted tax cut for Pennsylvania seniors in nearly two decades,” according to the Department of Revenue.
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Jim Martin, who has served as Lehigh County district attorney for a quarter-century, played a major role in the launch of the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center.
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The county’s legal department urged commissioners to wait until their next meeting to ensure any changes to the bill could be properly advertised, as required by Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act.
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Mayor Matt Tuerk’s firing of a human-resources employee who filed complaints against the city was “an act of revenge,” Councilman Ed Zucal said. On Tuesday, Tuerk made his first public comments regarding the matter.
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Karen Ocasio, who worked in the human resources department, repeatedly called for an investigation after detailing what she said were her experiences of racism and discrimination while working for the city. One council member labeled her firing "an act of revenge" and "blatant retaliation and retribution” by Mayor Matt Tuerk.
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The Lehigh County Authority is raising its water fees in 2024, but Allentown residents will also have to pay more for sewer services.
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Mayor Matt Tuerk must convince at least one of four Allentown City Council members who voted Wednesday against his latest 2% tax-increase proposal to change their minds.
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Council members Ed Zucal and Ce-Ce Gerlach led an unsuccessful push Wednesday night to override Mayor Matt Tuerk’s veto.
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Allentown Planning Director Jennifer Gomez said her staff had “concerns” about Ideal Concepts’ plans to build more than a quarter-million square feet of office space.
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The interactive map is meant to “foster transparency and provide residents with a clear understanding of the proposed 2% tax increase,” Allentown communications manager Genesis Ortega said.
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Allentown zoning officials saw no issues Monday night with Blackstone Structures’ request to convert a former commercial building that once was the home of Gen. Harry Trexler into housing and retail space.
