Someone should be watching.
Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton are three cities making decisions that shape your life. Lehigh Daily exists to keep half a million people informed — free, clear, and without a paywall.
Cover what has lasting relevance to the people who live here — local government, schools, community organizations and civic life. No ambulance chasing, no police blotter, no paywall.
Founded in June 2024 by a new parent in Bethlehem who found local news locked behind paywalls, buried on slow websites, or not covered at all. Built from scratch, self-funded, and published daily ever since.
Local news is a public good, not a product.
Everything we publish is checked against the source document.
No chain, no investors. Our only obligation is this valley.
When we're wrong, we say so at the top of the article.
Jai Smith is the founder and editor-in-chief of Lehigh Daily, an independent, reader-funded news outlet covering Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, Pennsylvania. Since launching it in June 2024, he has reported on Lehigh Valley government, development and community life, and he shoots the photos and video and builds the site himself. He has spoken on Lenfest Institute panels about local news, appeared on WHYY, and works with Free Press on Pennsylvania legislation to fund local journalism. He lives in Bethlehem.
Readers keep Lehigh Daily free for everyone in the valley.