Good morning, Allentown.

Students picked up school supplies and snacks at Cedar Beach Park during the Back-to-School Bash on Wednesday — the event connected families with local resource groups and provided a head start for the school year.

Fritz, the first African penguin chick hatched at Lehigh Valley Zoo in over nine years, recovered from pneumonia and spent two weeks in intensive care (a rare success) before joining a 15-bird outdoor colony for visitors to see in the coming weeks.

Allentown City Council met Wednesday night to hear the Housing Authority outline plans for new and renovated affordable housing projects — including tax-credit and low-income units — while the Downtown Alliance shared plans to boost local retail vibrancy with upcoming festival events downtown.

PPL Corporation and Blackstone Infrastructure's joint venture will build new power plants — capable of 8 to 14 GW of capacity — across Pennsylvania.

Invitium Energy, in which PPL holds a 51% stake, plans to sign one or more commercial agreements by the end of 2026.

Last month, the Lehigh Valley Road Runners awarded five college scholarships to top local athletes from 13 high schools at the LVRR Clubhouse on the Little Lehigh Parkway.

The program began in the mid-1980s to support runners in their pursuit of higher education and athletic success.

Plainfield Township officials halted WM’s landfill expansion by passing two ordinances that reverse last year’s approvals, change zoning on 212 acres, and add steep slope rules — WM said the site will run out of space in about 3 to 3.5 years.

Northwestern Lehigh softball players earned all-state honors last spring—Abby Dunstan led with 10 home runs, 39 RBI and a .491 average while Emma Freeman, Ella Bressi and shortstop Natalie Conner were also recognized for their standout play.

The League ended its regular season Monday as Parkland clinched the top seed in the Big School Division and a first-round bye.

Semifinals in both divisions will be held Tuesday through Thursday at Executive Education Academy Charter School (Union Boulevard) in Allentown.

The Parkland High School boys basketball team reached the Throwdown quarterfinals two weeks ago after winning pool play in summer tournaments but lost 41-34 to Lower Merion on Sunday; coach Eddie Ohlson said the team gained valuable experience (topping an 11-1 run) for the upcoming season.