Morning Call - Lehigh Valley & Allentown PA News, Sports, Weather, Business & Things to Do

How Democrat Bob Brooks consolidated support in his primary run for Congress — and why some in his party are angry about it

Support for Bob Brooks, a former Bethlehem firefighter and current union president, appears unmatched among his opponents in the Democratic primary for Congress in the Lehigh Valley.

Bob Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, speaks during Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025 visit to the Bethlehem Fire Department. Shapiro has endorsed Brooks’ campaign for Congress. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

All St. Luke's hospital campuses, including Sacred Heart, received A grades for safety in the latest Leapfrog hospital survey. (Jane Therese / Special to The Morning Call)

What are the safest hospitals in the Lehigh Valley? Recent survey has the answers

Lehigh Valley high school drama students perform the opening number at the 2025 Freddy Awards on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the State Theatre in Easton. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Freddy Awards 2026: Freedom High School leads nominations with ‘Something Rotten!’ Here’s the full list

Danielle Boksan of Macungie enjoys a moment with her 6-year-old daughter, Avery, on Sunday, May 11, 2024, at a Mother’s Day brunch at Madeline’s in Upper Macungie Township. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)

Treat Mom at these Lehigh Valley brunch, dinner spots for Mother’s Day

Prices at the pump have jumped 25 cents for the second consecutive week, according to AAA surveys. (John Haeger / Hazleton Standard Speaker).

Gas prices continue upward trend while crude oil prices drop, AAA says. Where Lehigh Valley prices stand

Latest Headlines

One dead in motorcycle crash on Route 222 in Lehigh County [UPDATE]

14 hours ago
Allentown City Council considers audit of mayor’s city-sponsored travel expenses

17 hours ago
Colleges, universities impacted by nationwide breach of Canvas

10 hours ago
What to know about mail ballots in Lehigh, Northampton counties

19 hours ago
Parkland baseball player and Saucon Valley softball player are Athletes of the Week

1 second ago
Upper Bucks woman charged with animal cruelty for horse’s ‘painful conditions,’ SPCA says

18 hours ago
Things to do in the Lehigh Valley this weekend: Spring markets and time with Mom

9 hours ago
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One dead in motorcycle crash on Route 222 in Lehigh County [UPDATE]
One dead in motorcycle crash on Route 222 in Lehigh County [UPDATE]
Florida man dies after falling 50 feet inside Reading IMAX theater [Update]
Florida man dies after falling 50 feet inside Reading IMAX theater [Update]
Power restored after outages affect thousands around Lehigh Valley
Power restored after outages affect thousands around Lehigh Valley
A Lehigh Valley animal shelter could lose land to Interstate 78 project. Its supporters are speaking out
A Lehigh Valley animal shelter could lose land to Interstate 78 project. Its supporters are speaking out
Rock band announced as Allentown Fair headliner
Rock band announced as Allentown Fair headliner
Freddy Awards 2026: Freedom High School leads nominations with ‘Something Rotten!’ Here’s the full list
Freddy Awards 2026: Freedom High School leads nominations with ‘Something Rotten!’ Here’s the full list
Gas prices continue upward trend while crude oil prices drop, AAA says. Where Lehigh Valley prices stand
Gas prices continue upward trend while crude oil prices drop, AAA says. Where Lehigh Valley prices stand
Upper Bucks woman charged with animal cruelty for horse’s ‘painful conditions,’ SPCA says
Upper Bucks woman charged with animal cruelty for horse’s ‘painful conditions,’ SPCA says
Allentown woman wanted for vehicular homicide in wrong-way Pa. Turnpike I-476 crash arrested by U.S. Marshals
Allentown woman wanted for vehicular homicide in wrong-way Pa. Turnpike I-476 crash arrested by U.S. Marshals
New Dollar General to offer free gift cards for grand opening in the Lehigh Valley
New Dollar General to offer free gift cards for grand opening in the Lehigh Valley

Local News

Owen Oselkin, 8, of South Whitehall Township, talks about his book “Oh Dinosaur, Oh Dinosaur” on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in his family’s home. Owen wrote a dinosaur-themed book “Oh Dinosaur, Oh Dinosaur” that he will be signing at Barnes and Noble on National Dinosaur Day. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Eight-year-old writes a dinosaur-themed book | PHOTOS

Eight-year-old writes a dinosaur-themed book

Sports

Carolina Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal (11) celebrates with Andrei Svechnikov (37) and Seth Jarvis (24) after scoring a goal against Philadelphia Flyers’ Dan Vladar (80) during the first period of Game 3 in the second round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Flyers on brink of elimination after 4-1 defeat in Game 3

Power-play failures costly for Philadelphia, now down 3-0 to Carolina in series

Things to Do

The pop-punk band Major League will perform Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Archer Music Hall in Allentown. (Michael Shronk)

Pop-punk band Major League talk reuniting, family touring and new music ahead of Archer Music Hall show

Major League performs in Allentown on Saturday, May 9.

5th annual DeVonta Smith Celebrity Softball Game at Coca-Cola Park | PHOTOS

Fans and superstar athletes alike enjoyed the 5th annual DeVonta Smith Celebrity Softball Game on Saturday at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. See photos.
Parkland High School Prom | PHOTOS
Whitehall High School Prom | PHOTOS
Bangor Area High School Prom | PHOTOS
Palmerton Area High School Prom | PHOTOS
Saucon Valley High School Prom | PHOTOS
Iconic Dixie Cup comes down from Lehigh Valley factory | PHOTOS, VIDEO

Opinion

Former Northampton County Executive Lamont G. McClure speaks Wednesday, April 1, 2026, during a debate at Moravian University with fellow Democratic candidates for the 7th Congressional District Fire Fighters Association President Bob Brooks, former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, and former PPL engineer Carol Obando-Derstine. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)

Opinion by Lamont G. McClure: Why you should vote for me in Democratic congressional primary

Opinion by Lamont G. McClure: If you want someone who’s proven he’ll fight like hell...

Crime and Public Safety

(Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

Power restored after outages affect thousands around Lehigh Valley

PPL and Met-Ed reported thousands of power outages around the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night.

Best Reviews

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For adults or kids, these are the best Olly vitamins

The Olly brand is a popular creator of vitamin blends for various health needs. It...

Business

A pangolin, a species threatened with extinction, is sold near Buchanan, Liberia on Feb. 28, 2013 (Ethan Baron/Bay Area News Group)

Report: Facebook found to be ‘central public infrastructure’ for criminals selling endangered wild animals

Report cites 'loss of irreplaceable species such as elephants for their ivory, rhinos for their...

Pennsylvania News

Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp.’s annual meeting Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at SteelStacks in Bethlehem. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Shapiro demands a stop to ‘excessive’ utility rate increases, but has little authority to force change

As energy costs climb in Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro pressures utilities to limit rate hikes and...

National News

President Truman sits before a microphone, holding his speech, at the White House, Washington, DC, May 8, 1945, after he had finished reading his announcement to the nation that Allied Armies have won unconditional surrender from the German forces on all fronts. (AP Photo/stf)

Today in History: May 8, Allies celebrate Nazi surrender in World War II

President Harry S. Truman announced in a radio address that Nazi Germany’s forces had surrendered,...

Allentown

Vehicles travel Tuesday, April 28, 2026, along Route 222 and Mill Creek Road in Upper Macungie Township. The intersection of Route 222 westbound and Mill Creek Road is the top traffic bottleneck in Lehigh County, according to the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

These are the 20 worst Lehigh Valley traffic bottlenecks. What’s being done to fix them.

A new report compiles a list of top-priority bottlenecks in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Bethlehem Area

In this Sept. 25, 2009, file photo, New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling sits in the booth before the Yankees’ baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York. (Bill Kostroun/AP)

‘Voice of the Yankees’ John Sterling, who briefly attended Moravian College, dies at age 87

Legendary announcer died from complications after a heart attack