Makenzie Christman
Digital news content producerI'm a Lehigh Valley native whose passion for journalism traces back to my high school newspaper. I previously reported for The Republican Herald in Pottsville and freelanced for SpotlightPA and WPSU through Penn State University's startup, The News Lab. Outside of the office, I'm usually doting on my dog or tasting what the Valley's food landscape has to offer. Contact me at makenziec@lehighvalleynews.com or 610-984-8138.
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In this week's episode, Political Pulse host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick talk about current events shaping political opinions in unexpected ways. Borick said it marks a "wild start" to 2026 and could set the stage for the rest of the year. -
After searching for the right space for around nine months, Maria and Alison Corradini officially opened Alchemize Pilates Community in Emmaus on Jan. 3. As the two push to build a community through their Pilates studio, almost 100 members registered before the business wrapped up its first week.
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The Bethlehem Police Department is giving kudos to one of its officers, who went beyond simply making a report when he responded to a call for a burglary.
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A spokesperson for The Giant Company said the supermarket chain is transitioning to store-based fulfillment and discontinuing centralized fulfillment at its Giant Direct centers. The company is closing five centers in Pennsylvania, including one in Coopersburg, by April.
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Pepper spray incident makes East Penn Schools 1st in the Valley to comply with new school weapon lawThe school district alerted the community about three hours after an incident involving pepper spray occurred in the upstairs cafeteria of Emmaus High School on Wednesday afternoon. Legislation that went into effect this month requires districts to alert parents, guardians and teachers of school weapon incidents.
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Los costos de vivienda en Lehigh Valley siguieron subiendo en 2025. Ser propietario es “un esfuerzo”A nivel local, los costos de la vivienda siguen siendo inferiores a los promedios nacionales, pero datos de plataformas inmobiliarias, comparados con cifras del Censo de Estados Unidos en los condados de Lehigh y Northampton, muestran que el acceso a la vivienda sigue siendo un desafío.
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Locally, housing costs still remain lower than national averages, but data from real estate marketplaces compared with U.S. Census data in Lehigh and Northampton counties show housing affordability still is a struggle.
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A long-running Easton tavern announced its plans to close and asked patrons to visit in its last remaining days. It will close on New Year's Eve.
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After customers speculated its permanent closure online, Casa Catrina shared an announcement on social media thanking patrons for their continued support over the past six years. This month, the Mexican restaurant posted on its doors a notice of a temporary closure.
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No one matched all five Powerball numbers, plus the red Powerball, on Monday night's drawing, but one Lehigh Valley resident matched four out of five white balls to win $200,000. It was among three winning tickets sold in Pennsylvania for the Dec. 15 drawing.
