County News

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure asked county council Thursday to repeal tax breaks for the developer of the planned River Pointe industrial park, less than a year after council voted to extend them.

The Pennsylvania Department of State is starting a new office to help train county election workers, Pa. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. It also plans to update its guidance for logic and accuracy testing that could have caught issues with the Northampton County voting machines.

Only some of the newest Northampton County elected officials are actually new to county government. The new slate of county elected leaders will take office Jan. 2.

The new position will appear on the ballot in 2025. The Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas had one of the higher caseloads for counties of its size.

If ultimately completed, the combined health care system would operate 30 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient sites, with more than 62,000 employees, according to LVHN and Jefferson Health.

Northampton County Council bid farewell to four members Thursday evening, including its first Black president, Kerry Myers.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure announced Monday he approved the county's 2024 budget, leaving in place amendments made by the County Council last week.

In a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro, state Rep. Milou Mackenzie asked the Department of State to provide Northampton County with instructions on how to avoid more Election Day mistakes with their voting machines.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure on Friday named a human resources department manager as his acting director of administration. She joined the county in May 2022.

Northampton County Council voted Thursday to adopt a 2024 budget that keeps property taxes flat.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild leads the pack in spending. And along with Republicans Kevin Dellicker, Ryan Mackenzie and Maria Montero, the four have spent more than $660,000 through the first three months of 2024 in their efforts to win Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District seat.

More than six months after its launch, 33 air quality monitors have been installed throughout the Lehigh Valley as part of Lehigh Valley Breathes, a regionwide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey visited the Lehigh Valley on Monday to raise awareness of the PACT Act. Government officials believe veterans may not be aware of expanded health care benefits that they're eligible for since Congress passed the law in 2022.

Kevin Dellicker, a Republican candidate for PA-7, said he could support federal legislation setting stricter restrictions on abortion. His opponents in the Republican primary, Ryan Mackenzie and Maria Montero, said the issue of abortion access should be left to the states. (First of five parts)

Four members of the Northampton County Republican Committee's executive board face criminal charges filed by Glenn Geissinger, the board's chairman.

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s annual meeting Tuesday included speeches and panel discussions on economic trends and challenges.

A section of Institute Drive will be closed through most of April to protect breeding amphibians. Experts said the road-closing conservation effort is not only important for the animals, but also for the region’s overall landscape and ecosystem.

It’s expected to be a busy day for power crews in the Lehigh Valley with a wind advisory in place until 8 p.m., northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 55 mph. Met-Ed and PPL Electric Utilities were reporting scattered outages.

The 120-acre park in Northampton County boasts more than 100 species of trees and shrubs from around the world. "What's unique is it's in a public park setting. It's run by county park staff, not a nonprofit or not a for-profit entity,” the superintendent said.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey got a mention during President Biden's State of the Union address but U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, did not. Politics reporter Tom Shortell provides a post-mortem on the SOTU.

Ruben Payan, the NTSB investigator in charge of the investigation, released new details and updated local officials during a meeting of Lower Saucon Township Council. Three of the derailed cars were hazardous materials tankers.

Three secure ballot drop-off boxes will be installed in new areas of Northampton County prior to the April 23 primary election, bringing the total number of drop-off boxes in the county to seven.