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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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.
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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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Allentown zoning officials saw no issues Monday night with Blackstone Structures’ request to convert a former commercial building that once was the home of Gen. Harry Trexler into housing and retail space.
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Joshua Steven Gonzalez, 39, of South Whitehall Township, is accused of possessing child pornography after a detective allegedly traced videos to his computer.
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Sgt. Evan Weaver and former Vice officer Jason Krasley are accused of sexually assaulting the same victim between 2011 and 2015.
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A city worker who is Black found a noose Friday morning as she reported to work at Allentown City Hall, according to a councilwoman. A police investigation is underway.
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Mayor Matt Tuerk called Allentown “one of the safest large cities” in Pennsylvania, citing statistics that show only Bethlehem has a lower per-capita violent-crime rate among cities with more than 50,000 residents.
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A landscape architecture firm is working on a 15-year master plan for Allentown's parks and open spaces.
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Four people were victims of homicides in Allentown last year; 19 people were killed in homicides in 2023, according to data from the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
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Only a few residents showed up Monday at a virtual meeting about how city officials will look to use federal funding on housing through 2029.
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Allentown City Council's Dec. 18 approval of the 2025 budget ensures the city will not have to return any of its $57 million ARPA grant.
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A man was carjacked at gunpoint Thursday after arranging a deal on Facebook Marketplace to sell shoes to two men, according to court documents.
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Daniel Leibensperger, 34, of Emmaus, was charged Dec. 19, the day after after his girlfriend was stabbed, authorities said Tuesday in a news release. Leibensperger's body was found Dec. 26 in Allentown's Jordan Creek.
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Allentown Parking Authority is set to buy the police substation at Tenth and Hamilton streets and sell it as part of a package deal to a developer.
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Jenna Fliszar, who owns Fliszar Law Office on Hamilton Boulevard, said her work in criminal defense, municipal law and child advocacy means she would bring “a balanced perspective to the bench.”
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Flames trapped a woman in the basement of her home, according to charges filed against Santos Mota-Ramirez. Police say he set the fire after trying to fatally stab another woman. The blaze affected seven row homes Thursday night and displaced 30 people.
