The Morning Call

Allentown City Council urges mayor to halt sweep of homeless encampment

Allentown City Council unanimously urged city administration to reconsider its decision to forcibly evacuate a homeless encampment on Monday.

Residents of the Jordan Creek homeless encampment in Allentown gather their belongings Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, as city officials sweep through the site to clear it out. While many residents were able to grab their belongings, others said they lost a lot because they didn’t have help. Allentown officials announced in early August that the camp would be cleared, citing flooding concerns. After an initial deadline of Aug. 25, Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk extended the evacuation date to Monday to coincide with the opening of the Allentown YMCA’s warming station. Despite the advance warning, however, some of the residents stayed up until the last possible moment, saying they had nowhere else to go. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman held a telephone town hall Wednesday to hear concerns about data centers. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)

Lehigh Valley lawmaker pitches idea to limit data center development

Lehigh County has not had its own juvenile detention center since 2014. A new partnership with three other counties to form a regional facility is up for a vote. (Rich Schultz/ TMC)

Lehigh County wants to create a joint juvenile detention facility in Berks. But critics are trying to put on the brakes

William Oplinger, 2,of Phoenixville, plays in a colorful house Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in the Winter Wonder Lab exhibit at the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Da Vinci Science Center gains NASA grant to celebrate moon mission with Lehigh Valley youth

Main Street in Bethlehem bustles with people on Monday, March 9, 2026. The downtown won USA Today’s 10Best Main Street competition for a second year in a row. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Bethlehem’s Main Street is again voted the best in US in nationwide poll

Latest Headlines

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Lehigh Valley wine bar, grocery store closing. ‘Challenges have become insurmountable,’ owner says

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Local News

Firefighter climbing aerial ladder with explosion debris in street

West Reading chocolate factory explosion: PA legislation addresses natural gas safety concerns

The state House has passed a bill aimed at addressing natural gas safety concerns in the wake of the March 2023 fatal explosion at a West Reading chocolate factory.

Sports

The 76ers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. reacts during Wednesday’s NBA play-in tournament game against the Orlando Magic. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Kelly Oubre’s shot-making plays vital role in 76ers’ play-in win over Magic

Kelly Oubre was the 76ers' X factor in a 109-97 win over Orlando to clinch the seventh seed in the NBA playoffs, with five made 3-pointers and 19 points.

Things to Do

Freedom High School’s Fife & Drum Corps marches Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, during the Bethlehem World Heritage Community Celebration in the city. The city and the Moravian settlements organization hosted the event commemorating the Moravian Church Settlements recognition as a UNESCO world heritage site. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Things to do in the Lehigh Valley this weekend: Heritage Day, concerts and anniversaries

From the anniversary of the Easton Public Market to the return of Community Heritage Day in Bethlehem, there's something for everyone in the Lehigh Valley this weekend.

Pawapalooza Raises Money to Fight Pediatric Cancer | PHOTOS

Paws for a Cause: “Pawapalooza” Raises Money to Fight Pediatric Cancer at Moravian University’s Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex in Bethlehem.
Artemis II crew capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean | PHOTOS
Mourning Berks firefighters killed in the line of duty [Photos]
Lehigh University students hold a public demonstration against racism | PHOTOS
Procession for Berks County firefighters killed in crash | PHOTOS
Bethlehem Easter Egg Hunt | PHOTOS
Plane makes emergency landing on I-78 | PHOTOS

Opinion

Geraldine Munoz Castillo teaches a class in 2026 at the Sonia Sotomayor Dual Language Immersion Academy in the 2000 block of East Pennsylvania Avenue, Allentown. (Photo courtesy of Allentown School District)

Opinion: A strong start, why bilingual learning matters in Allentown

Opinion: Kindergarten is the beginning of a student’s pathway

Crime and Public Safety

Woman found dead Monday in Northampton County; suffered medical event, coroner says

The body of a woman was found Monday afternoon in Martins Creek in Bangor, according...

Best Reviews

Keeping up with the Joneses: How the backyard living room has emerged as the it trend for homeowners

Ready to dive into the backyard living room trend? Check out some of our favorite...

Business

International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol speaks during an interview.

Europe has ‘maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left,’ energy agency head tells AP

He called it “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced.”

Pennsylvania News

A display at the unveiling of the Commonwealth’s Maternal Health Strategic Action Plan. (Commonwealth Media Services)

Inside the Shapiro administration’s ‘absolutely ambitious’ plan to prevent maternal deaths

Pennsylvania had about 129 pregnancy-associated deaths in 2021, which is the most recent available data.

National News

Thick columns of black smoke are rising from the fiercely burning Monsanto Chemical Company, after the explosion of a cargo ship docked nearby at the harbor of Texas City, Texas, on April 16, 1947. The French vessel SS Grandcamp, loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer, exploded in a blast that caused a tidal wave and seismographs to register. The disaster left 576 people dead, the number of injured ranged in the thousands. (AP Photo)

Today in History: April 16, nearly 600 killed after cargo ships explode in Texas harbor

The French cargo ship Grandcamp, carrying ammonium nitrate, blew up in the harbor of Texas...

Allentown

Allentown will see 2 new affordable housing projects thanks to multimillion dollar grant

Allentown will benefit from two new affordable housing projects in the coming years thanks to...

Bethlehem Area

Lehigh University senior Kira Miller holds a sign with an empty plastic jug, known as a BORG, drawn on it Monday, April 6, 2026, during a public demonstration against racism at the university in Bethlehem. Students say racist messages were found drawn on two bottles found on or near the campus in recent months, and they were calling on leadership to address it. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)

Lehigh students demand action after racist slogans, imagery collide with university’s party scene

Blackface minstrel imagery. Binge drinking. Greek life. A social media backlash. All are part of...

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Lehigh Valley wine bar, grocery store closing. ‘Challenges have become insurmountable,’ owner says

1 shot near Allentown bar Tuesday night, police say

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Body of Lehigh County man found under covered bridge

Allentown man gets jail sentence for sexually assaulting woman and filming it, DA says

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