A crash is delaying traffic Friday morning on Interstate 476 northbound in Lehigh County. PennDOT’s traffic website reported the crash about 5:30 a.m. near mile marker 51 in Upper Milford Township. The right northbound lane is closed according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Drivers should expect delays in the area of the crash. Check back later for updates. CRASH UPDATE – #Paturnpike – I-476 Northbound milepost 51 between Quakertown #44 and Lehigh Valley #56 blocking all lanes now. Be alert for slow or stopped traffic.@PA_Turnpike@TotalTrafficABE@TotalTrafficPHL@KYWRadioTraffic pic.twitter.com ..read more

NORRISTOWN — During an emotion-filled hearing, a Hatfield Township man admitted he was speeding in a Dodge Charger and had traces of marijuana in his system when he struck a Ford Explorer that was exiting a residential driveway in Franconia Township, killing a Bethlehem area woman who was driving the Ford. Logan Parker Dierkes, 20, of the 1200 block of Alexander Drive, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Thursday to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence of a controlled substance and recklessly endanger ..read more

Here are the food safety inspection reports from Lehigh and Northampton counties, conducted the week of April 14. Each week, we highlight the inspection reports provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The department performs the inspections in many areas, while some municipalities such as Allentown and Bethlehem conduct their own inspections. All establishments are inspected once per year, and inspectors may return several more times if the initial inspection is not passed or complaints are received. (For more information on how food safety inspections are conducted in Pen ..read more

For one Lehigh Valley manufacturer, adding automation was a necessity. For another, it was about efficiency. Representatives from both companies said it was a benefit to their full-time employees and even helped preserve jobs. The Manufacturers Resource Center held its annual Automation & Manufacturing Technology Show on Thursday morning with a series of presentations and demonstrations at the Delta Hotel by Marriott in Upper Macungie Township. Several vendors were on hand to demonstrate technology from robotic arms to virtual reality software that can be used for remote training. The morn ..read more

PPL Electric utilities will place an extra $1 million in its hardship fund to help customers as part of a modified settlement regarding company-caused billing errors that plagued hundreds of Lehigh Valley residents and more systemwide. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved revisions Thursday to an earlier $17 million settlement with Allentown’s PPL that includes the setting aside of money for low-income consumers. The $1 million will nearly double PPL’s “Operation Help” fund to help income-eligible families and senior citizens who struggle with paying their electric bills, accord ..read more

The Delaware County Medical Examiner’s Office and state police said Thursday morning that the count of the dead in the high-speed crash of a red Ford Taurus that ended a state police chase was four. The medical examiner’s office said it handled “three adults and a juvenile, and one individual from that group who was pregnant, making four plus a fetus” from the crash Wednesday afternoon in Upper Chichester Township. State police late Thursday morning said three other occupants were in hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. A 17-year-old Philadelphia woman was pregnant and she and the fet ..read more

Lehigh Valley International Airport continues to see an increase in passenger traffic as it reported a significant increase in the numbers of people who traveled through the facility in March. LVIA said 86,582 of them used the airport in Hanover Township, Lehigh County in March, the highest total since 2004. It was also a 10.7% increase from March 2023, when 78,216 passengers passed through. “We were fortunate to avoid late season winter storms that could have impacted flight schedules,” said Tom Stoudt, executive director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority. “Additionally, ABE remains ..read more

Temperatures could drop to freezing Friday morning before jumping to the highest temperatures of the year next week in the Lehigh Valley. The National Weather Service said overnight temperatures Thursday into Friday could reach freezing in Lehigh, Northampton and Upper Bucks counties. Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation during that time. Forecasters encourage people to take steps to protect plants from the cold. Temperatures will remain in the high 50s and mid-60s through Saturday before a significant jump Sunday. Forecasters are expecting a highs of 76 ..read more

By MARK SCOLFORO (Associated Press) HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania election results include a loss Tuesday in the Democratic primary by a Philadelphia state representative one day after prosecutors announced that they had erroneously issued a warrant mistakenly accusing him of violating a protective order. Rep. Kevin Boyle, seeking an eighth term, was one of at least two incumbent state lawmakers defeated on Tuesday, losing to Sean Dougherty, whose father is state Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty. The warrant that was withdrawn came up in the context of a years-long child custody and divorce d ..read more

Allentown officials, standing in front of high-speed traffic on Hanover Avenue Wednesday, announced the launch of its “Safe Streets for All” program, a multi-million dollar investment in traffic and transportation safety. “Safe Streets for All” is the city’s moniker for its comprehensive “action” plan for traffic safety improvements citywide, with the goal of achieving zero traffic deaths by 2030. Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk recalled stories of two friends he lost in traffic accidents, as well as the death of Angela Youwakim, a paraprofessional at Dieruff High School who was killed in a crash i ..read more