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

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

"This is a difficult journey and you don't need to do it alone," says Tis the Tism founder Ally Wiener-Avraham.

Misty Vicky and her son, Wyatt, who is on the autism spectrum play in their backyard Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Allentown. Vicky, like many other parents in the Lehigh Valley, faces myriad struggles and challenges ensuring that her child receives the services and treatment that he needs and deserves. (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

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?

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

Volunteer Deborah Sciarra tries to push rain water out of the dessert tent Saturday, July 18, 2026, during Bethlehem Blueberry Festival, organized by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites at Burnside Plantation. The festival offers Colonial demonstrations, activities, vendor tents, blueberry-themed foods and live music. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Bethlehem Blueberry Festival on Saturday | PHOTOS

Latest Headlines

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

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

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

2 days ago
When will the air quality get better? Wildfire smoke forecast for Lehigh Valley

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

2 days ago
Truck driver in fatal Route 29 truck crash in Upper Milford Township is identified [Updated]

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

1 day ago
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Tornado watch for Lehigh Valley canceled as severe storm threat diminishes [Updated]
Tornado watch for Lehigh Valley canceled as severe storm threat diminishes [Updated]
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
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
Saquon Barkley and family OK after burglary at home, DA says
Saquon Barkley and family OK after burglary at home, DA says
Flood watch issued for Lehigh Valley as severe weather expected Saturday
Flood watch issued for Lehigh Valley as severe weather expected Saturday
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?
Truck driver in fatal Route 29 truck crash in Upper Milford Township is identified [Updated]
Truck driver in fatal Route 29 truck crash in Upper Milford Township is identified [Updated]
Cedar Beach Showcase basketball tournament: ACCHS went 1-2 and now awaits new coach
Cedar Beach Showcase basketball tournament: ACCHS went 1-2 and now awaits new coach
‘Nothing is easy’: Lehigh Valley parents of autistic children frustrated over long wait times, denials of service
‘Nothing is easy’: Lehigh Valley parents of autistic children frustrated over long wait times, denials of service

Local News

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)

Lehigh Valley Puerto Rican Parade & Festival in Allentown | PHOTOS

Lehigh Valley Puerto Rican Parade & Festival in Allentown

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.

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

A burnt area shows the contact point and crash path of United Airlines flight 232 after it exploded on impact during an attempted emergency landing at Sioux City Airport in Sioux City, Iowa on July 20, 1989. The old runways of the original airport, now used as taxiways, are seen criss-crossing the crash path. The pilot was attempting to land on one of the closed runways. (AP Photo/Jeff Bundy)

Today in History: July 19, plane crashes during emergency landing, kills 111

111 people were killed when United Airlines Flight 232, a DC-10 that sustained a tail...

Allentown

Hazy conditions from Canadian wildfire smoke is seen over the Lehigh Valley Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Rich Rolen/Special to The Morning Call)

Wildfire smoke descends on Lehigh Valley | PHOTOS

Wildfire smoke from Canada descended upon the Lehigh Valley on Thursday, casting a haze over...

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.