Good morning, Allentown.

Chayse Rivera, a former Schnecksville Elementary student, was recognized at the Parkland Garden Club meeting—she won first place in the Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest sponsored by National Garden Clubs and U.S. Forest Service.

Art teacher Megan Kirschman coordinated the contest.

Greenlight Networks is investing over $20 million to bring fiber Internet to Easton and Phillipsburg.

Construction is underway and service will begin in early 2027, following an earlier build in Bethlehem that now connects thousands of households and businesses.

ESSA Bank has named Michael McCarty as senior vice president and commercial banking team leader to support business growth.

Based in Allentown, he will lead the bank’s commercial division and bring years of leadership experience to serving local business clients.

Dorney Park in Allentown was named 10th among the nation’s top Halloween attractions by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice, unveiling a new Blair Witch: No Signal haunted maze and The Conductor live show for teens and adults this fall.

Local author Michael Lorin Hirsch released his memoir—Letters Home from World War II: The Man Inside—that uses his grandfather’s wartime letters to preserve his spirited voice despite Alzheimer’s.

The book, published by Bright Communications in Hellertown, connects family history with Allentown roots.

Charter school students 12 and older in the Whitehall-Coplay district will resume bus service on Monday per a court order while legal battles over busing continue + a parent expressed relief that kids can now ride safely.

A Pennsylvania court ordered the Whitehall-Coplay School District to resume bus service for charter students by Monday, Oct.

5+ the order comes after six charter schools sued when the district stopped busing kids 12 and older, and District Superintendent Christopher Schiffert confirmed the service will restart then.

Parkland High School Class of ‘71 held its 45th reunion (56 alumni gathered from across the country) on Sept.

16 at the Club at Twin Lakes in North Whitehall Township.

State regulators approved a phased $65 million rate increase for UGI, adding $40 million on Oct.

1, 2026 and $25 million on Oct. 1, 2027 (the settlement raised bills by $6.45 and increased the residential charge to $20) while UGI is barred from another hike until Jan. 15, 2029.

St. Luke’s University Health Network opened its $252M Heart Hospital today at the Anderson campus, nearly doubling inpatient capacity with 140 beds and cardiac care units.

The five-story, 355,000 sqft facility has four operating rooms, a hybrid suite, and 10 interventional suites, promising world-class care for the region + jobs.

LVHN/Jefferson Health System celebrated 45 years of its MedEvac program that transported 105,000 patients in the region.

Flight medics, nurses and support staff gathered at Lehigh Valley Hospital on Sept. 9 to honor the milestone — Every Minute Counts — and its vital role in rapid care.