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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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.
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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.
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Allentown Planning Director Jennifer Gomez said her staff had “concerns” about Ideal Concepts’ plans to build more than a quarter-million square feet of office space.
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Allentown received a $100,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to continue funding youth-led climate action projects this year.
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Residents at Wednesday night's park meeting called for better gateways into parks and routes between them to encourage their use.
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Mark Pinsley also plans to publish a series of “plain-language reports” about how billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to cut the federal government will affect local municipalities, services and programs.
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Patrick Palmer was less than two dozen votes short of winning one of four Democratic nominations for council in 2021.
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The federally funded Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley served about 10,000 people last year across its five locations across the region.
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Ben Stemrich announced his bid Friday, joining three other candidates — Jeremy Binder, Luis Acevedo and Cristian Pungo — in the contest for four open seats.
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Tracy Dechant, 42, the twins' mother, and Joshua Dechant, 36, their stepfather, were arrested Jan. 26, days after emaciated 15-year-old twin boys were found in their Lower Macungie Township home.
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Phil Armstrong highlighted a long list of accomplishments and laid out a few more plans for his last year in office Thursday night.
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Lehigh County relies on hundreds of millions in state and federal funding to provide services to residents. The fate of that funding is unclear as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk target federal funding.
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Allentown City Council allocated $300,000 for the first investigation; but no hard figures have been presented about the total cost of the contract for Duane Morris LLC.
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Cristian Pungo said he’s ready to jump in and help the city address some difficult challenges, including its lack of affordable housing and infrastructure that needs investment.
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The survey of about 2,300 properties will give Allentown officials "a better understanding" of the city's historic assets, according to a consultant leading the effort.
