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. -
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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The public will vote on the intersection's final design, the head of the landscaping company leading the project said Thursday.
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Plans filed with the city earlier this year show the building — set to be known as the Dream Grand Plaza — would have a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments.
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An Allentown police officer was arrested and charged Tuesday with attempted homicide and related counts, court records show. He was ordered to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $750,000 bail.
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The $2.8 million project at Andre Reed Park should be finished before next summer, officials said.
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One hookah lounge owner said he bought a metal detector and is doing all he can to ensure customers are safe, but he wants help from police.
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'After-hours' establishments could face huge fines — and potential closure — for violating nuisance-abatement ordinances, under a resolution introduced by the city council. Council was critical of the Tuerk administration's response to violence.
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City officials scheduled two public meetings for next Thursday, June 29, to hear what residents want the area to look like.
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Allentown School District officials said the proposal to allow schools in industrial zones was "simply not good planning" and not safe for children.
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Allentown voters could see five questions on their ballots in November if the proposals are approved.
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Isiah Yeager, 23, of Allentown, is facing a criminal homicide charge after police said he twice stabbed 29-year-old Kevin Tarafa, of Bethlehem, at Synergy Hookah Lounge on Allentown's East Side.
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Sunday’s fatal stabbing at Synergy Hookah Lounge on Union Boulevard in Allentown was “the last straw,” the building's owner said, adding he wants the business “gone like cancer.”
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The Allentown City Council voted 4-2 Thursday against a pilot program to dispatch EMTs and mental health professionals to some 911 calls. That sends the proposal to voters.
