Tom Shortell
Politics ReporterI cover all things politics for LehighValleyNews.com. As veteran reporter of the region, I previously covered the Slate Belt, Northampton County, Lehigh County and local courts during stints at the area’s two newspapers. I also penned the popular Road Warrior column at The Morning Call, keeping readers up to speed on transportation news. I graduated from St. Bonaventure University and have yet to find a pun I don't like. I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. Contact me at toms@lehighvalleynews.com or 610-984-8209.
-
Federal prosecutors dismissed criminal charges alleging Tighe Scott assaulted police outside the U.S. Capitol Building. The decision stems from President Donald Trump's executive order pardoning more than 1,000 people convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and all ongoing dismissing ongoing prosecutions. -
Infinera has secured a CHIPS and Science Act contract to construct a state-of-the-art semiconductor facility in South Bethlehem. The 2022 law intends to bolster domestic production of essential technology.
-
The U.S. Department of Commerce reached a non-binding agreement with Coherent Corp. that could lead to the creation of 320 jobs at its Palmer Township facility. The agreement is intended to boost production of silicon carbide substrates, a specialized crystal used to create semiconductor wafers.
-
U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie sworn in as the Lehigh Valley's new congressman: 'Now it's about governing'U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and 433 other members of the U.S. House took the oath of office Friday afternoon following a dramatic roll call vote that awarded U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson the speaker's gavel.
-
Ryan Mackenzie is scheduled to take the oath of office Friday to become the Lehigh Valley's next representative in the U.S. House. But those plans may be put on hold if the chamber can't rally around a speaker.
-
Former President Jimmy Carter urged Lafayette College students to create a greater, more peaceful America during a speech on the Easton campus in 2013. His longtime foreign affairs adviser Robert Pastor was an alumnus.
-
The Lehigh County chapter of the League of Women Voters will host a candidate's workshop in January. The Lehigh Valley's two county-level Republican committees will host their own candidate training program, as well.
-
U.S. Rep.-elect Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, has a background in labor policy. He served as the Republican chair of Pennsylvania's House Committee on Labor and Industry.
-
Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta said he acted appropriately when he allowed Northampton County Republican Committee Chair Glenn Geissinger to file a private criminal complaint against four members of his party.
-
U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, during her farewell address on the House floor Wednesday, said the $38 million spent in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District was an obscene amount.
