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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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.
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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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The interactive map is meant to “foster transparency and provide residents with a clear understanding of the proposed 2% tax increase,” Allentown communications manager Genesis Ortega said.
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The Allentown Zoning Hearing Board on Monday night approved Ryan Abdouche’s plans to convert a vacant warehouse in the 1900 block of South Fifth Street into a dozen apartments.
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The expanded facility will offer students a place to collaborate and “make critical connections to the world,” according to college President Kathleen Harring, who called it “the physical embodiment of our values.”
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Mayor Matt Tuerk last week said the camp along Jordan Creek would be next to be shut down by the city.
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“We delivered a balanced budget to you,” Mayor Matt Tuerk told council members Wednesday. “We’re going to live within our means.”
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Mayor Matt Tuerk laid out his goals for a second term, while Ed Zucal urged voters to give him an upset victory at a candidates forum at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.
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Dozens of students from Ritter Elementary helped with a "push-in" ceremony for a new Allentown fire truck on Monday morning.
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Jeani Garcia, who took the helm at Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley this year, was recently named to serve on the executive committee for the state’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
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Former Allentown police officer Jason Krasley was charged with stealing more than $5,000 in May 2019 as he and other Vice and Intelligence Unit officers searched a barbershop. Separately, Krasley still faces several other charges, including rape, sexual assault and prostitution.
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Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk is seeking a 3.96% property-tax increase in next year's budget. He presented his plan Thursday.
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Council members Ce-Ce Gerlach and Natalie Santos want the city to adopt new policies that regulate how officials evict homeless residents from encampments.
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Authorities allege Adam Makowka, 28, of South Whitehall Township, fatally shot Jereka Battle in her Allentown apartment in July.
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City planning officials on Tuesday reviewed the "impending" sale of McKinley Elementary School, which opened in the 1880s.
