
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.
-
Tamir Johnson, 35, got out of his car and swung a bat, hitting the other driver’s door. That driver fired one shot that struck Johnson, authorities said.
-
Lehigh County Redevelopment Authority is looking for a developer to lead the project to revitalize the Whitehall Township property.
-
A 52-year-old Allentown man died July 4 after he was hit by a vehicle while riding a scooter near downtown. A 76-year-old man died about an hour before that crash from injuries he suffered in a collision that morning in Upper Macungie Township.
-
A $300,000 grant from the city would “unlock” almost $1 million in other funding for the Downtown Allentown Alliance, according to one of the fledgling nonprofit's leaders.
-
Witness said Jose Vladimir Jerez, 24, of Allentown, was driving erratically while trying to pass another car when he crashed his car into a utility pole in October. A 20-year-old passenger, Ezequiel Hernandez-Cartagena, died less than 90 minutes later.
-
Allentown police can hand out tickets to anyone caught swimming in natural waterways in the city, Mayor Matt Tuerk said, urging residents not to let a $100 fine “ruin your summer.”
-
The 15-person, all-male halfway house would be managed by Living in Victory and offer “probably the most structured” addiction-recovery program in the Lehigh Valley, according to the pastor behind the proposal.
-
Angel Martinez-Velez, 25, of Allentown, was shot and killed June 1, 2024, on the basketball court at Allentown's Fountain Park.
-
Allentown police were called just before 2 a.m. Sunday to a home in the 100 block of Pine Street, where officers found a girl suffering from a gunshot wound to the face, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.
-
An arrangement with Valley Youth House could see an Allentown apartment become a form of transitional housing for its clients while providing “steady income” for the city's Redevelopment Authority, an official said.
-
The 28-year-old, who was not immediately identified, jumped from the Tilghman Street Bridge around 12:40 p.m. Thursday, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office.
-
Isiah Yeager, 25, is due to stand trial Oct. 20 — 28 months after he was charged with homicide in connection with a fatal stabbing at Synergy Hookah Lounge.
-
Officials are earmarking about a quarter of the money to pay for other capital projects the city has “not been able to work on for many, many years,” Allentown Finance Director Bina Patel said Wednesday.
-
Allowing some residents to stay at the encampment for an extra month is “the safest and most humane course of action,” Mayor Matt Tuerk said. But no one else will be allowed to set up camp there before its closure.
-
The first phase of the project is to cost about $2.3 million and is “shovel ready,” according to Mandy Tolino, who leads Allentown’s parks and recreation department.
-
Edward Tomcics was fatally struck on the night of Dec. 25 outside his home on Water Street. More than seven months later, authorities charged the man who hit him.
-
Officials on Thursday said Allentown YMCA will open its shelter at least six weeks early this year to serve some residents of a homeless encampment who are being evicted.
-
$50,000 will cover about a month of operations at the Allentown YMCA's warming shelter, which typically opens in mid-November. But it could struggle to open its doors before a homeless encampment's Aug. 25 eviction deadline.
-
Officials approved a $57 million project to convert miles of former railroad tracks into roads and trails between Hamilton Street in Allentown and Race Street in Whitehall Township.
-
Resurrected Community Life Church is renovating its building on West Turner Street to serve more than 1,000 young students in Allentown.
-
The new school is expected to serve about 1,200 Allentown students in kindergarten through eighth grade. City Center is optimistic it will be ready for the start of the 2027-28 school year.
-
Residents who spoke to LehighValleyNews.com said they don’t know where they will go; the camp near Tilghman Street was an oasis for many who previously lived alone or in small groups.