Editor-in-Chief

Jai Smith

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.

423 articlesSince 2024

Latest from Jai Smith

IronPigs’ Strike Out Cancer Night in Allentown raises $25,000 for cancer patients

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs' Strike Out Cancer Night in June raised $25,000 to help Lehigh Valley cancer patients and their families, the team announced Tuesday.

Nov. 3, 3:36 p.m.

Whole Foods signs lease for closed Neshaminy Mall site in Bensalem, Pa., report says

Whole Foods Market has signed a lease for a store on the Neshaminy Mall site, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported Monday, citing an industry source, two days after the mall closed for good.

Nov. 3, 12:51 p.m.

LIHEAP heating aid opens in Pa., with extra help for Northampton County seniors

Pennsylvania began taking applications Monday for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the federally funded grants that help pay winter heating bills, and the window stays open through Friday, April 23, 2027.

Nov. 2, 9:46 p.m.

Pa. trooper sentenced to 5 to 10 years in child exploitation, AI deepfake case

A Pennsylvania State Police corporal who possessed child sexual abuse material and used state computers to create AI-generated pornography of women was sentenced Monday to five to 10 years in prison.

Nov. 2, 8:56 p.m.

Ty Myers named first Musikfest 2027 headliner in Bethlehem

Country singer-songwriter Ty Myers will play the Wind Creek Steel Stage at PNC Plaza on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2027, the first headliner ArtsQuest has named for next year's Musikfest, the nonprofit announced Monday.

Nov. 2, 6:08 p.m.

Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem, Pa., closes after 58 years; owners’ plan has yet to reach council

Neshaminy Mall closed for good Saturday after 58 years, and the owners who plan to tear down about half of it have yet to bring a redevelopment plan to Bensalem Township Council.

Nov. 2, 5:50 a.m.

‘Pakistani’ vs. ‘Made in America’: GOP mailer draws racism charges in Lehigh Valley House race

A Pennsylvania Republican Party mailer calls Democrat Meriam Sabih's "Pakistani" playlist "radical" and sets it beside a "Made in America" playlist for Republican state Rep. Milou Mackenzie, days before their Tuesday, Nov. 3, rematch in the 131st state House district.

Nov. 1, 9:13 p.m.

Nearly 60 antique dollhouses go on view at Bethlehem’s Kemerer Museum

Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites has put nearly 60 antique dollhouses, some up to 4 feet tall, and more than 6,000 miniatures on view in "Art of the Dollhouse," a new exhibition that opened Thursday at its Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts.

Nov. 1, 7:17 p.m.

Bethlehem bowling fundraiser to seek $50,000 for Meals on Wheels meal subsidies

Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley will hold its annual Bountiful Bowl fundraiser Saturday, Nov. 7, at B Social, with a goal of raising $50,000 for its Meal Subsidy Program.

Oct. 30, 5:50 a.m.

Slatington repairman Douglas Royer faces mandatory 25 years on misdemeanor photo charge

A Slatington man faces a mandatory 25 years in state prison if he is convicted of photographing a 10-year-old girl's buttocks while working on a Lower Macungie Township home's heating system, the Lehigh County district attorney's office said Thursday.

Oct. 29, 7:56 p.m.

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