A Slate Belt township has determined that a private campsite rental on a secluded area of a 42-acre farm constitutes a vacation resort — a no-no in its agricultural and conservation zoning districts. Karen Thatcher Smith and Ron Smith this summer joined Tentrr, a company that installs standardized...
The opening of the FedEx Ground warehouse on Willowbrook Road in Allen Township has resulted in tractor-trailers rumbling along roads they are prohibited from, and nearby residents are angry, and local officials are seeking solutions. Township Manager Ilene Eckhart told supervisors Tuesday that...
The Trump administration is moving to allow year-round sales of gasoline with higher blends of ethanol, a boon for Iowa and other farm states that have pushed for greater sales of the corn-based fuel. President Donald Trump is expected to announce he is lifting a federal ban on summer sales of...
When I donate blood, I often wonder where it will end up. Will it be given to someone who was in a car accident? To a cancer patient? To someone having heart surgery? I recently got to see firsthand the impact that a donation can have. Jared Dowling is a junior at Freedom High School in Bethlehem...
A 80-minute documentary about fatal medical errors sparked a discussion about best practices in hospitals among Lehigh Valley’s health care administrators. Hospitals must focus on implementing procedures that account for human errors, such as checklists, and encourage employees to disclose mistakes,...
Based on experiments conducted by himself and others around his work, Banksy, the famous street artist, could write an economics dissertation on the monetary value of art. In a way, that unwritten paper could be his crowning achievement. The self-shredding stencil of a girl letting go of a heart-shaped...
The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline has spiked 7 cents a gallon over the past two weeks, costing $2.97. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says that's 41 cents a gallon higher than at this time last year. Lundberg said Sunday that rising crude oil prices are the...
SUNDAY, OCT. 7 IMAGINE BUSINESS EVENT CONCEPTS will hold Meet & Geek, noon-3 p.m., Big Woody’s, 3941 Chestnut St., Emmaus. Tickets required. Info: www.facebook.com/events/1360876497379941/ TUESDAY, OCT. 9 GREATER LEHIGH VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MATTERS will hold a Pennsylvania 7th District...
Kutztown University and BCCC sign transfer and articulation agreement Kutztown University and Bucks County Community College signed two transfer and articulation agreements Sept. 27. One agreement will facilitate the transfer of any Bucks student to Kutztown, while the second agreement will facilitate...
Mattress Firm, the country's largest mattress chain, filed for bankruptcy Friday, as the latest retailer to succumb to mounting online competition. The Houston-based company, which has 3,400 locations nationwide, plans to close 200 stores in the coming days and as many as 700 by year's end, according...
The unemployment rate fell to 3.7 percent in September, its lowest level since 1969, the Labor Department reported Friday. President Donald Trump quickly celebrated the news on Twitter, and many forecasters predict the jobless rate will decline even more in the months to come. While economists...
The owner of the White Orchids Thai restaurant at the Promenade Shops in Saucon Valley is planning to open another restaurant in Wescosville in Lower Macungie Township. The township Board of Commissioners approved a conditional use permit for the proposed restaurant, also to be called White Orchids,...
Last week’s car explosion in Allentown was a tragedy. Sometimes, tragedies can be prevented. Officials announced Thursday that the blast on Turner Street that killed two men and a toddler was detonated intentionally, by Jacob Schmoyer. Officials said Schmoyer planned to kill himself, his 2-year-old...
Jimmy Sullivan prepared for his job as a bricklayer the same way every morning for years: injecting a shot of heroin before leaving his car. The first time he overdosed on the job, in 2013 at a Virginia construction site, a co-worker who is his cousin stealthily injected a dose of Narcan, an opioid...
American dairy farmers get more access to the Canadian market. U.S. drug companies can fend off generic competition for a few more years. Automakers are under pressure to build more cars where workers earn decent wages. The North American trade agreement hammered out between the United States and...
What a week it’s been for Amazon. On Tuesday, the online giant was getting praise from its harshest critics after announcing it planned to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour, effective across the country Nov. 1. Then, a day later, news started to trickle out that Amazon also was phasing out...
St. Luke’s earns top honors for organ donation St. Luke’s University Health Network has been recognized for its significant commitment to raising awareness of the need for organ donations by the Hospital & Health System Association of Pennsylvania. St. Luke’s has received HAP’s top award of titanium...
FRIDAY, OCT. 5 LEHIGH CARBON COMMUNITY COLLEGE will hold Cyber Security for Small Business with Lance Hawk, noon, LCCC’s Donley Center, 718 Hamilton St., Allentown. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch, drinks provided. Info: 610-799-1027. PENNSYLVANIA PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION...
Here are the results of food safety inspections in Lehigh and Northampton counties for the week of Sept. 23-29. The inspections listed here are those that fall under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, as well as those county and local health departments that have elected...
Amber Alhadeff, 30, is a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, and a graduate of Southern Lehigh High School. She does research on obesity, eating disorders and Type 2 diabetes. L’Oreal USA awarded her $60,000 last month to advance her research, as a part of the company’s 2018 For Women...
UGI Utilities, which serves the Lehigh Valley, could pay nearly $2.1 million in penalties for a 2017 fatal explosion in Lancaster County that killed a worker, injured three others and flattened a home. In a civil complaint filed Thursday, the state Public Utility Commission’s independent Bureau...
Tronc, the parent company of The Morning Call, is changing its name back to Tribune Publishing. The Chicago-based company, which also owns the Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, Baltimore Sun and other major daily newspapers, announced the decision Thursday, ending a more than two-year run with...
Bucks County life-sciences company Lampire Biological Laboratories has expanded its operations by acquiring a 179-acre farm in Bedford County. The company recently closed on the farm near Everett, Bedford County, for $1.15 million, including renovations, company President and CEO Gregory Krug...
Blommer Chocolate Co., a longtime chocolate manufacturer with a plant in upper Montgomery County, has attracted interest from at least two Asian companies as North America's top cocoa processor considers a sale, according to people familiar with the matter. Singapore-based Olam International Ltd....
Over the next three weeks, more than a dozen new shows will plead their case to network-television viewers. Sitcoms, dramas, procedurals, even a show about a man who believes God has friended him on Facebook — all will aim for robust fall ratings, long the cornerstone of a successful TV series....
Artificial intelligence, robotics and other technological developments pose a “high risk” of replacing about 19 percent of all jobs in the greater Lehigh Valley over the next decade, according to a report released yesterday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Based on July workforce stats,...
On Tuesday, online behemoth Amazon announced it was increasing its minimum wage to $15 an hour, a change that will affect more than 250,000 of its employees along with another 100,000 seasonal workers across the country. The move, effective Nov. 1, was touted by many, including recent company critic...
Barnes & Noble Inc., the nation’s largest retail bookseller, is authoring the next chapter in its own self-help book. This tale, apparently, could be called, “strategic alternatives.” The struggling company on Wednesday announced its board of directors has decided to enter into a formal review...
Hersheypark has announced plans for a $150 million expansion that includes a new roller coaster. The central Pennsylvania amusement park said Wednesday that its Chocolatetown attraction will “unlock an all-new chapter.” According to Hersheypark, the 23-acre area will include a restaurant and bar,...
Automation probably will increase productivity and create more wealth, but it also poses a high risk of job loss for more than one in four low-skill workers in the greater Lehigh Valley and could exacerbate inequality if implemented carelessly, according to a report released Wednesday by the Federal...
One has Elvis Presley's Rolls Royce, the costumes the Beatles wore onstage, and the management know-how and money of one of the world's largest and most successful hospitality companies — even as it replaces its boss. The other has a successful sports betting facility, a redesigned casino floor...
If you own or manage a coffee shop, bakery or restaurant, or if you’re thinking about opening one, you may want to consider supporting a social mission. Serving more than food or a cup of coffee can nourish your community and the lives of you and your staff. A restaurant owner/manager has a lot...
LinkedIn reveals what company culture means to employees, and the factors companies must prioritize in order to win the talent war.
Should I lease or should I buy? It’s a question everyone eventually stumbles upon. Most of the time there is no one-size-fits-all answer. With the pace of technology moving faster than ever, and leasing options becoming more available, the prevailing wisdom is changing. The sharing economy makes...
What helps a community thrive? It’s a question with answers as variable as the people responding. Some might say that healthy communities are safe communities. To others, flourishing communities experience significant economic growth and stability. Still others would insist a thriving community...