
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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Jason Zulli, a professor at Northampton Area Community College, said he hopes his mural outside People First will help “bring the community together.”
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Several dozen people stood outside City Hall on Wednesday to watch a flag-raising ceremony and a rendition of the national anthem before Mayor Matt Tuerk ushered the crowd inside.
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Supporters detailed the merits of the program Tuesday ahead of the council’s imminent deadline to vote on the proposal.
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A developer is proposing to build a four-story complex with more than 50 affordable housing units next to Life Church in Allentown.
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A developer is seeking approval for an 868-unit self-storage facility on Hanover Avenue on Allentown's East Side, but the official notice for a zoning hearing advertised 749 units.
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The Lehigh County Office of the Public Defender is set to host its fifth “Community Outreach Day” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the parking garage at Seventh and Walnut streets.
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PPL announced Thursday it plans to move its longtime headquarters this fall to Two City Center, at Seventh and Hamilton streets.
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Officials postponed two Allentown City Council meetings until June 13 with the region under a “code red” air quality alert Wednesday.
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The Sixth Street Shelter has helped thousands of people get back on their feet since opening in 1984, according to the organization’s leader.
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Thousands of residents signed petitions in support of the measure, which Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca labeled as “defund-the-police rhetoric.”
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Those 180 units would be split evenly across four large buildings, according to the developer’s initial plans.
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Newly reformed Lehigh County Redevelopment Authority gets back to work, and jumps into first projectThe authority was first established in 1986, but it had been defunct for about a decade until recently. The Iron Works Project in Catasauqua is its first order of business.