Partly Cloudy 67°
Police & Fire
Police Investigate Woman Found Dead In Allentown Motel Police Investigate Woman Found Dead In Allentown Motel
Police Investigate Woman Found Dead In Allentown Motel Police in Lehigh County are investigating after a woman was found dead at an Allentown motel.  County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said that 48-year-old Yaneza Ortiz was found unresponsive in her motel room in the early morning hours on Sunday, Nov. 27.  Ortiz's official cause and manner of death are pending the results of an autopsy scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 29, the coroner added.  Allentown police are investigating the case as well, according to the release.  On Monday, loved ones posted tributes on social media in Ortiz's memory.  "I can't believe I'm saying RIP…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Fentanyl, Loaded Gun Seized In Lehigh County Raid: Police Fentanyl, Loaded Gun Seized In Lehigh County Raid: Police
Fentanyl, Loaded Gun Seized In Lehigh County Raid: Police Police in Lehigh County recovered drugs and a loaded weapon while executing a search warrant on Tuesday, Nov. 22, authorities announced.  Officers with the Allentown Police Department's Vice and Intelligence Unit raided a home on the 600 block of North 6th Street around 1:30 p.m., officials said in a statement.  Investigators seized "suspected quantities" of fentanyl and cocaine from the house, in addition to a loaded gun, they added.  Ernesto Orta, the 57-year-old who lives at the property, was arrested and charged with drug and illegal firearm possession, police said. …

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
Business
New Stores, Restaurant Land In Lehigh's Airport Shopping Center: Report New Stores, Restaurant Land In Lehigh's Airport Shopping Center: Report
New Stores, Restaurant Land In Lehigh's Airport Shopping Center: Report Shoppers in Lehigh County will have a few more options this holiday season.  The Allentown Airport Shopping Center on Airport Center Road is slated to get two new retail stores and a restaurant, according to a report by WFMZ.  Trek Bicycle relocated to the plaza from its previous location on Tilghman Street, and offers tune-ups and service in addition to cycles and accessories, the outlet reported.  Buff City Soap, which according to its websites sells scented, hand-made, plant-based soaps, will hold a grand opening for its new "makery" on Friday, Nov. 25 at 10 a.m., WF…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Violent Threats Close LCTI For Fourth Consecutive Day Violent Threats Close LCTI For Fourth Consecutive Day
Violent Threats Close Lcti For Fourth Consecutive Day For the fourth straight school day, Lehigh Career and Technical Institute in Schnecksville canceled classes Wednesday, Nov. 16 after administrators received a violent threat.  In a message posted to the school website, administrators said they received the warning early Wednesday morning. State police were notified and are investigating the threat, they added.  As LCTI is a vocational school that draws students from several districts in Lehigh County, all students were rerouted to their usual high schools, administrators said.  Students will complete assignments online today…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
Schools
Minors Charged With Making Threats To Allentown Schools: Police Minors Charged With Making Threats To Allentown Schools: Police
Minors Charged With Making Threats To Allentown Schools: Police Criminal charges have been filed in connection with a string of violent threats aimed at Allentown schools, authorities announced.  Without specifying how many were charged and if they were students, Allentown police Captain Kyle Pammer said in a release Tuesday, Nov. 15 that "several juveniles" have been charged with making terroristic threats.  Allentown School District has experienced an unusual number of violent threats that disrupted classes in recent weeks.  On Thursday, Nov. 10, Dieruff High School was locked down and then dismissed after administrators received warni…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Oxygen User Smoking Cigarette Dies Of Burns Caused By Fire That Erupted: Lehigh Coroner Oxygen User Smoking Cigarette Dies Of Burns Caused By Fire That Erupted: Lehigh Coroner
Oxygen User Smoking Cigarette Dies Of Burns Caused By Fire That Erupted: Lehigh Coroner A 57-year-old Lehigh County man died when he tried to light a cigarette while using supplemental oxygen, causing a fire that burned him, officials said. Richard C .Grim of Lower Macungie Township, was pronounced dead at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest around 3:40 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said.  The cause of death was complications of 5.5% burns on his body due to trying to smoke a cigarette last week in his home, when a fire erupted, the coroner's office said. The death is being investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police, Fogelsville S…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Business
New Lehigh Home Depot To Open By Summer 2023 New Lehigh Home Depot To Open By Summer 2023
New Lehigh Home Depot To Open By Summer 2023 A new Home Depot is slated to open in Lehigh County sometime in summer 2023, developers have announced.  Workers broke ground at the site of the new store in Lower Macungie Township on Monday, Nov. 14, said development company RD Management.  The 136,000-square-foot store will include a full garden department, and will be part of the proposed Macungie Crossing community shopping center near the intersection of Hamilton Boulevard and Grange Road, the developers said.  “The Home Depot opening at Macungie Crossing is a great win for local community members needing a c…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
Schools
UPDATE: Police Investigate Third Bomb Threat In 3 Weeks At Lehigh School UPDATE: Police Investigate Third Bomb Threat In 3 Weeks At Lehigh School
Update: Police Investigate Third Bomb Threat In 3 Weeks At Lehigh School A Lehigh County high school was evacuated following a bomb threat Monday, Nov. 14, just days after a similar threat canceled classes last Friday.  Lehigh Career and Technical Institute in Schnecksville was closed Monday after administrators received "multiple threats" at around 9:30 a.m., said school administrators in a post on the LCTI website.  As LCTI is a vocational school that draws students from several county school districts, students that were already on campus Monday morning were sent to their regular high schools instead, administrators said. The emergency closure cam…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
Schools
Bomb Threat Clears Lehigh County School For Second Time In Two Weeks Bomb Threat Clears Lehigh County School For Second Time In Two Weeks
Bomb Threat Clears Lehigh County School For Second Time In Two Weeks For the second time in as many weeks, a Lehigh County high school was evacuated Friday, Nov. 11 after administrators received a violent threat.  Classes at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute in Schnecksville were canceled after administrators learned of a bomb threat at about 7:30 a.m., according to an announcement on the school's website.  Administrators said they contacted state police, who are investigating the matter.  As LCTI is a vocational school that draws students from several county school districts, buses that were already en route Friday morning were sent to t…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Lehigh Driver Crashes Into Building, Causing Gas Leak: Police Lehigh Driver Crashes Into Building, Causing Gas Leak: Police
Lehigh Driver Crashes Into Building, Causing Gas Leak: Police A Lehigh County driver crashed into a building and caused a gas leak, authorities announced Thursday, Nov 10. First responders in Emmaus Borough were called to United World Travel Service at 1031 Chestnut Street for a reported car accident just after 12:30 p.m., officials said. On scene, the building’s facade was badly damaged but stable, police said. There was one person in the building at the time of the crash, but neither they nor the driver was injured, authorities added. In the parking lot, investigators found the driver had struck the building’s gas meter. Police and firefighters ev…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Motorcyclists In Lehigh Crash That Killed Teen Girl Were Racing: DA Motorcyclists In Lehigh Crash That Killed Teen Girl Were Racing: DA
Motorcyclists In Lehigh Crash That Killed Teen Girl Were Racing: DA The two motorcyclists involved in a fatal crash in Lehigh County were racing each other just before the accident, authorities say.  District Attorney Jim Martin said in a press conference Thursday, Nov. 10 that 27-year-old Christian Gonzalez Santiago of Allentown faces two counts of felony homicide-by-vehicle for his role in the collision.  Santiago and 42-year-old Jose Estrada-Estrada of Reading were racing their motorcycles near MacArthur and Mechanicsville roads in Whitehall Township on July 31, the DA said.  The pair were moving at about 80 mph — double th…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
News
Bird Flu Detected At 5 Lehigh County Turkey Farms: Report Bird Flu Detected At 5 Lehigh County Turkey Farms: Report
Bird Flu Detected At 5 Lehigh County Turkey Farms: Report The highly contagious bird flu has been detected among turkeys on poultry farms in Lehigh County, officials say.  The state Department of Agriculture found the illness in five separate flocks on farms in North Whitehall Township between Thursday, Nov. 3 and Wednesday, Nov. 9, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, a private lobbying association.  The affected farms were not named, but the outbreak could impact up to 75,000 turkeys across all five flocks, the report says.   The Bureau said state officials will set up a "control area and surveillance zone"…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock