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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Allentown pet stores can no longer sell guinea pigs after city council approved a ban last week. Council members, though, voted down a measure to also prohibit the sale of betta fish in city stores. -
The Allentown Police Department and public officials are again looking at launching a pilot program to change the city’s response to mental health emergencies.
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Cold, wet weather didn't stop hundreds from celebrating “Be My Neighbor Day” on Saturday at the Bethlehem Area Public Library.
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Council members Ce-Ce Gerlach and Ed Zucal are sponsoring a bill to remove imprisonment as a potential consequence for breaking some city ordinances.
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The company’s $16,000 grant for the fire department comes less than a month after three of its trains collided and derailed in Northampton County.
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Allentown City Council is expected to approve two bills Wednesday to accept funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency on behalf of the police department.
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The Allentown Parking Authority could buy the city's property at 10th and Hamilton streets before selling it in a package deal with its adjacent lot.
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The Allentown Police Department launched an anonymous survey Wednesday to gather feedback from residents and others about their performance.
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A City Council member raised concerns last month about how much workers earn through the Allentown Rescue Mission’s transitional employment program.
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Developer Abe Atiyeh had a rough 24 hours after Allentown zoning and planning officials denied two separate proposals for his property.
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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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Mayor Matt Tuerk must convince at least one of four Allentown City Council members who voted Wednesday against his latest 2% tax-increase proposal to change their minds.
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Council members Ed Zucal and Ce-Ce Gerlach led an unsuccessful push Wednesday night to override Mayor Matt Tuerk’s veto.
