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.
The terms are the ones a fact-finder, an outside expert the state labor board appointed after talks stalled, recommended Aug. 31. "Nothing changed from the FF report," district Communications Manager Jennifer LoConte-Kugler said in an email Wednesday.
The study, Bethlehem's first since 1995, recommends adding 28 firefighters over several years at about $3.1 million a year, we reported Saturday. Last December, when council rejected adding four firefighters to this year's budget, the administration pointed to this study instead. Reynolds said he believes the 2027 budget comes out "two weeks from Friday," which is Nov. 6.
Laura Collins, the city's director of community and economic development, told council that the city reviews any land development submission filed before the ordinance passed under current zoning. Besides the Industrial Drive project, which she called publicized, she told council that "another proposal" in the city's industrial zone had come in and has just begun internal review.
The bill would require every public and private school to bar students from using their phones all day, lunch and hallways included, starting in the 2027-28 school year. Only three of the Valley's 17 school districts already go that far in every grade, their policies show.
The return ends a stretch in which Giant's stores, including 15 in Lehigh and Northampton counties, stayed open while the chain pointed online shoppers to DoorDash, Instacart and Uber Eats. Two of the deals Giant offered during the outage end Thursday, and Ahold Delhaize's investigation of the attack is still open.
A judge's ruling at a preliminary hearing Tuesday sends the homicide case against Daniel Latorre Jr. to Lehigh County Court. Court records show he is due there Dec. 10 at 1:30 p.m. for formal arraignment before Judge Douglas G. Reichley.
"We will automatically extend any points that were set to expire on 10/31 to be good through 11/30," Giant spokesperson Ashley Flower said in a statement. "This will reflect in customers’ account balance on 11/1, and no action is required from the customer."
The expansion follows what ArtsQuest called a record-breaking year: 145,552 visitors in 2025, nearly 14% more than the year before. That works out to about 128,000 in 2024. The igloos, introduced last year, sold out on most weekends, ArtsQuest said, and 192 families and groups used them.
Sam Jellinek, the IronPigs' manager of broadcasting and media relations, confirmed the time in an email. The show's Facebook page announced the closer Oct. 18, writing: “Looking forward to getting everyone back together again.”
Davis was pronounced dead at 5:20 p.m. Saturday at St. Luke's University Hospital, nine days after the shooting, Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said in a release Monday. Davis died of gunshot injuries, the coroner said, and an autopsy was scheduled for Monday.