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

A new Wawa in the Bethlehem area is scheduled to open Thursday morning, and those attending will have a chance to get a free shirt and coffee. The new store at 3608 Nazareth Pike in Bethlehem Township will open at 8 a.m., according to a company news release. The countdown to opening will start 15 minutes before, and the first 100 customers will receive a “In My Wawa Era 60th Anniversary” t-shirt. Free any size coffee will also be offered to customers. Additionally, there will be a “Hoagies for Heroes” hoagie building competition for police and fire departments, as well as a ribbon cutting cere ..read more

An Allentown man will serve 7 to 14 years in state prison for firing a gun into a bar, the state attorney general’s office said Wednesday. Paul Kerr, 30, had pleaded guilty to attempted homicide, illegal gun possession and discharging a gun into an occupied structure in the Jan. 7, 2023 shooting at Pagan’s Place in Allentown. According to police, Kerr was asked to leave the bar by the owner, Luis Pagan, who lives with his family above the business. Kerr argued with Pagan but eventually left, crossed the street and fired several shots at the building. One bullet went through a window and four h ..read more