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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Officials are earmarking about a quarter of the money to pay for other capital projects the city has “not been able to work on for many, many years,” Allentown Finance Director Bina Patel said Wednesday. -
Allowing some residents to stay at the encampment for an extra month is “the safest and most humane course of action,” Mayor Matt Tuerk said. But no one else will be allowed to set up camp there before its closure.
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The first phase of the project is to cost about $2.3 million and is “shovel ready,” according to Mandy Tolino, who leads Allentown’s parks and recreation department.
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Edward Tomcics was fatally struck on the night of Dec. 25 outside his home on Water Street. More than seven months later, authorities charged the man who hit him.
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Officials on Thursday said Allentown YMCA will open its shelter at least six weeks early this year to serve some residents of a homeless encampment who are being evicted.
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$50,000 will cover about a month of operations at the Allentown YMCA's warming shelter, which typically opens in mid-November. But it could struggle to open its doors before a homeless encampment's Aug. 25 eviction deadline.
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Officials approved a $57 million project to convert miles of former railroad tracks into roads and trails between Hamilton Street in Allentown and Race Street in Whitehall Township.
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Resurrected Community Life Church is renovating its building on West Turner Street to serve more than 1,000 young students in Allentown.
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The new school is expected to serve about 1,200 Allentown students in kindergarten through eighth grade. City Center is optimistic it will be ready for the start of the 2027-28 school year.
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Residents who spoke to LehighValleyNews.com said they don’t know where they will go; the camp near Tilghman Street was an oasis for many who previously lived alone or in small groups.
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The federally funded Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley served about 10,000 people last year across its five locations across the region.
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Ben Stemrich announced his bid Friday, joining three other candidates — Jeremy Binder, Luis Acevedo and Cristian Pungo — in the contest for four open seats.
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Tracy Dechant, 42, the twins' mother, and Joshua Dechant, 36, their stepfather, were arrested Jan. 26, days after emaciated 15-year-old twin boys were found in their Lower Macungie Township home.
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Phil Armstrong highlighted a long list of accomplishments and laid out a few more plans for his last year in office Thursday night.
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Lehigh County relies on hundreds of millions in state and federal funding to provide services to residents. The fate of that funding is unclear as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk target federal funding.
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Allentown City Council allocated $300,000 for the first investigation; but no hard figures have been presented about the total cost of the contract for Duane Morris LLC.
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Cristian Pungo said he’s ready to jump in and help the city address some difficult challenges, including its lack of affordable housing and infrastructure that needs investment.
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The survey of about 2,300 properties will give Allentown officials "a better understanding" of the city's historic assets, according to a consultant leading the effort.
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Luis Acevedo is centering his third campaign for Allentown City Council around transparency and integrity.
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The city was ordered to stop all work supported by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant after President Donald Trump moved to freeze federal funding.
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Alberto Jose Rios-Santiago, 26, was arrested Thursday in Florida and is awaiting extradition, authorities said.
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The Literacy Center CEO Jen Doyle is set to deliver its first State of the Organization address online Thursday night.
