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

Lehigh Valley Puerto Rican Parade and Festival in Allentown | PHOTOS

The annual Lehigh Valley Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival was held Sunday in Allentown. See photos.

People celebrate during the annual Lehigh Valley Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday, July 19, 2026, in Allentown. The day’s festivities, sponsored by Puertorrican Cultural Preservation, also included raising the Puerto Rican flag and a festival. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Saquon Barkley reacts as he is inducted into the Whitehall Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 5,2025, at halftime during a Whitehall High School football game in Whitehall Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Saquon Barkley and family OK after burglary at home, DA says

FILE – Second lady Usha Vance arrives at a women’s history month event in the East Room at the White House, March 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

JD and Usha Vance welcome a baby boy, the first child born to a sitting VP in more than 150 years

A LANTA bus pulls into the Allentown Transportation Center. The transit agency unveiled its new fare collection system on Tuesday. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)

LANTA riders could face more cuts as state budget leaves out additional transit funding

The French flag flies Tuesday, July 14, 2026, above Sophistiqué’s new location at 960 Hamilton St. in Allentown. The bakery was originally opened in November 2024 at 924 W. Walnut St., with the bigger space expected to feature an expanded menu and a bigger team of part-time staff. (Jon Chiu/The Morning Call)

Retail Watch: French bakery plans bigger menu for its bigger, new home in Allentown

Latest Headlines

Shock, sadness and determination: As Montgomery County meatpacking plant closes after 149 years, community braces for fallout

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A Lehigh Valley shopping center was just sold for more than $18 million

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Nominate a Lehigh Valley Top Workplace for 2027

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‘Nothing is easy’: Lehigh Valley parents of autistic children frustrated over long wait times, denials of service

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As Lehigh Valley manufactured home owners pay more, reforms are stalled in Harrisburg

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Lehigh Valley data centers: Where they’re proposed, and where those plans stand

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De George: World Cup final spectacle outshines controversies that led to it

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Lehigh Valley Puerto Rican Parade and Festival in Allentown | PHOTOS
Lehigh Valley Puerto Rican Parade and Festival in Allentown | PHOTOS
Saquon Barkley and family OK after burglary at home, DA says
Saquon Barkley and family OK after burglary at home, DA says
NO TUNNEL VISION LEGENDARY PASSAGEWAY AT PEN ARGYL AREA HIGH SCHOOL TO BE CLOSED AFTER NEW WING IS BUILT. NANCY AVERETT THE MORNING CALL
NO TUNNEL VISION LEGENDARY PASSAGEWAY AT PEN ARGYL AREA HIGH SCHOOL TO BE CLOSED AFTER NEW WING IS BUILT. NANCY AVERETT THE MORNING CALL
A Lehigh Valley shopping center was just sold for more than $18 million
A Lehigh Valley shopping center was just sold for more than $18 million
After days of extreme weather in Lehigh Valley, what’s in store for this week?
After days of extreme weather in Lehigh Valley, what’s in store for this week?
JD and Usha Vance welcome a baby boy, the first child born to a sitting VP in more than 150 years
JD and Usha Vance welcome a baby boy, the first child born to a sitting VP in more than 150 years
Retail Watch: French bakery plans bigger menu for its bigger, new home in Allentown
Retail Watch: French bakery plans bigger menu for its bigger, new home in Allentown
Shock, sadness and determination: As Montgomery County meatpacking plant closes after 149 years, community braces for fallout
Shock, sadness and determination: As Montgomery County meatpacking plant closes after 149 years, community braces for fallout
Bethlehem Blueberry Festival on Saturday | PHOTOS
Bethlehem Blueberry Festival on Saturday | PHOTOS
Tornado watch for Lehigh Valley canceled as severe storm threat diminishes [Updated]
Tornado watch for Lehigh Valley canceled as severe storm threat diminishes [Updated]

Local News

Randy, 12, pours some water on Jayson’s, 11, both of Bethlehem, head to cool him down while playing basketball in the hot weather Monday, July 13, 2026, at Friendship Park in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

After days of extreme weather in Lehigh Valley, what’s in store for this week?

After more than a week of high temperatures and a Saturday marked by booming thunderstorms, heavy rain and warnings of other extreme weather, the Lehigh Valley is due for a break.

Sports

Palmerton’s Hailey George (8) pitches the ball against Northwestern Lehigh on Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Palmerton. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

2026 all-area softball: Palmerton’s Hailey George pitched her way to being rookie of the year

George won 17 games and recorded 178 strikeouts in 125.1 innings for the Blue Bombers

Things to Do

People enjoy the rides, food and entertainment Friday, May 8, 2026, during opening day at Dorney Park in South Whitehall Township. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Lehigh Valley insider’s guide: Enjoy the weather with these outdoor attractions

Here are some outdoor attractions to enjoy in and near the Lehigh Valley.

Lehigh Valley Puerto Rican Parade and Festival in Allentown | PHOTOS

The annual Lehigh Valley Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival was held Sunday in Allentown. See photos.
Bethlehem Blueberry Festival on Saturday | PHOTOS
Blast Furnace Blues music festival brings tunes to the Steelstacks | PHOTOS
Wildfire smoke descends on Lehigh Valley | PHOTOS
Easton Heritage Day celebrates America 250 | PHOTOS
One Earth Reggae Festival at SteelStacks | PHOTOS
Preparing to read the Declaration of Independence at Easton Heritage Day | PHOTOS

Opinion

There’s plenty of frustration in our daily lives, but there’s also something to learn from those frustrations. (Shutterstock)

Faith & Values: What we can learn from frustration and change

Frustration can accompany all kinds of everyday experiences, from trying to open an impossibly tight...

Crime and Public Safety

Red and blue police lights.

AI chatbot tip leads to arrest of Florida man on child abuse, pornography charges

Broward detectives said a tip from Grok, the AI chatbot built into X, prompted an...

Best Reviews

<p>Adobe Stock</p>

Achieve better cooking results with these top-rated Hamilton Beach microwaves

Hamilton Beach is one of the better-known brands manufacturing microwaves.

Business

This photo provided by Honda shows the 2016 Civic.

The best used sedans for under $15,000, according to Edmunds

The vehicles offer refined cabins, proven reliability and confident road manners.

Pennsylvania News

Richard ‘Dick’ Knoebel, who led the family-owned Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg for nearly four decades, has died at age 87, the park announced. (Courtesy of Knoebels)

Knoebels amusement park announces death of longtime president

Richard 'Dick' Knoebel led the family-owned Knoebels Amusement Resort for nearly four decades,

National News

Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, right, draws from a fish bowl the first number in the World War I draft July 20, 1917. Current Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson will draw from this goldfish bowl on Oct. 29, 1940, the first number in a nationwide lottery to determine the order of calling men for military training under selective service for the new World War. (AP Photo)

Today in History: July 20, World War I draft lottery begins

America’s World War I draft lottery began as Secretary of War Newton Baker, wearing a...

Allentown

Allentown resident Andrea Serba holds a sign as the data center spokesperson gives a presentation on Thursday, July 16, 2026, during an Allentown planning commission meeting at Allentown City Hall. The commission had a meeting before voting on plans for a data center at 2401 W. Emaus Ave. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Is a data center better than a warehouse in south Allentown neighborhood? Residents get first look at plans

The developer argued that a data center at the south Allentown site would be preferable...

Bethlehem Area

The entry sign for the Landings apartment complex sits alongside Catasauqua Road on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Bethlehem. The apartment complex was recently sold for $97 million to Boyd Wilson LLC. (Jon Chiu/The Morning Call)

Large Lehigh Valley apartment complex is sold for nearly $100 million

The Landings, just off Catasauqua Road on Bethlehem's west side, recently sold for $97 million.