
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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Nadeem Shahzad said Mayor Matt Tuerk forced him to step down in mid-August after he didn’t fire another employee. Tuerk fired that employee Nov. 20 "based on his belief that she was a troublemaker,” according to Shahzad.
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A developer is going back to the drawing board after the Allentown Zoning Hearing Board was reluctant Monday to approve its plans for a 445-unit self-storage facility.
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A mostly vacant warehouse in East Allentown could be converted into 36 apartments.
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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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Casa Jeanette wants to turn a former medical-office building near the Allentown Fairgrounds into what it calls a "great, great asset" for residents.
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Allentown City Council will soon vote on whether to change the zoning in the former site of Allentown State Hospital.
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The Allentown Zoning Hearing Board backed developer Eury Vargas's plans to convert a vacant building on Chew Street into four apartments.
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Musikfest is “the tip of the spear” for Lehigh Valley’s tourism industry, drawing more than 1 million people to the region, ArtsQuest CEO Kassie Hilgert said.
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Exchange 32 earned approval for its plans to keep parking two dozen tractor-trailers outside a vacant office building on South 12th Street.
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Planning officials granted conditional approval for Blackstone Structures' plans to build a new mixed-use complex with dozens of apartments at the former home of Gen. Harry Trexler.
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A Pennsylvania State Police trooper was justified when he shot at a 47-year-old Allentown man who allegedly drove at the trooper, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin.
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Dominic Germano is selling a 50% stake in Telfair Inc., which owns MainGate Night Club and two other properties at the corner of 17th and Liberty streets in Allentown.
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City Council member Candida Affa said she didn’t want to jeopardize the city’s legal cases against nuisance properties by continuing to serve.
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Jonathan A. Richards, 41, of Shillington, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.24% at the time of the crash — three times the legal limit, authorities said.
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Thong Pham hit his head in September 2019 after he was punched at an Allentown bar, authorities said. He never regained consciousness and died in 2021.
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The Allentown Police Department can now enter a formal contract to work with Pinebrook Family Answers' “community intervention specialists.”