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.
-
Allentown City Council is set to hold a public hearing Dec. 6 on the new zoning overlay district. Members are likely to approve it at their meeting that starts after the hearing. -
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.
-
A mostly vacant warehouse in East Allentown could be converted into 36 apartments.
-
City Council members this month unanimously approved a new quarter-century lease — at $1 a year — for the museum in the Little Lehigh Parkway.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
That funding adds to a recent $984,000 contract for “citywide surveillance” and a $1.5 million program for gunshot-detection technology and license-plate readers.
-
Allentown police, paramedics and firefighters recovered a body Tuesday near the Hamilton Street Bridge. The death “does not appear to be suspicious,” according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office.
-
More than $700,000 is on its way to support several projects in Allentown parks.
-
“Let us make the most of this wonderful addition to our community and create beautiful memories that will last a lifetime,” City Council President Cynthia Mota said.
-
The Allentown Parknership made its debut Wednesday at Arts Park. The new nonprofit was funded by a $500,000 gift from the Harry C. Trexler Trust.
-
Officials are expecting new facilities to bring hundreds of thousands of new visitors to Center City Allentown each year. The science center at 815 Hamilton St. opens this week.
-
Allentown City Council unanimously approved a measure to formally rename the facility in honor of late Assistant Chief Chris Kiskeravage.
-
Joshua Moser, 33, is being held without bail in Monroe County after he was arrested there for a parole violation, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.
-
Rose Josephine Hnath, 78, was found dead in her North Whitehall Township home in January 1989. She had been repeatedly stabbed and beaten, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said.
-
CEO Katarah Jordan called the six-figure grant "an investment in the health, well-being and future of our community's youth."
-
Northampton was one of 14 counties randomly selected to conduct a risk-limiting audit, county Elections Registrar Chris Commini said.
-
A $1.1 million PA SITES grant will help turn a 6.5-acre property at 928 American Parkway into a “shovel-ready” site for an industrial or commercial tenant, Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
