Good morning, Allentown.

New Bethany is asking the community to donate 2,500 turkeys for Thanksgiving (up from 2,200 last year) and will collect frozen turkeys at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs stadium on the Friday before Thanksgiving where drivers can drop them off.

Heidi Shappell, who worked 38 years with the Postal Service and has served Lenhartsville customers for 11 years, will retire on Oct.

31 and plans to spend more time with her family.

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals opened its largest North American distribution center in Upper Macungie, a 160,000 sqft facility that employs 45 people, ships about 90 million prescriptions, and plans to hire more workers around the holidays.

Lehigh Valley International Airport handled 88,368 passengers in September, the highest September on record and a 14.53% increase from Sept.

2025; Delta rose 19%, American 13.8%, Allegiant 13.7%, United dipped 5.5%, and air cargo fell 16.71% to 22.5 million pounds.

Whitehall-Coplay faces a $9.9 million deficit in its preliminary 2027 to 2028 budget, and a 4.9% Act 1 tax increase would raise $2.7 million but still leave a $7.2 million shortfall; the district will present a preliminary budget on Dec.

14 and is scheduled to adopt an opt-out resolution on Jan. 11, 2027.

Mill Creek Road in Lowhill Township will close for bridge repairs from Nov.

2 through Nov. 13 with a 24-hour detour using Route 309, Route 100, and Kistler Road (drivers should follow posted signs); rain won’t delay the work.

Global Hope International will host a free clinic with Remote Area Medical offering dental, vision, and medical care on Saturday and Sunday, Oct.

31-Nov. 1 at Northeast Middle School (1170 Fernwood St.); services are first come, first served, no ID is required, parking opens midnight Friday and doors open 6 a.m.

State health inspectors say Gracedale received new citations after the grand jury report and, as of Oct.

22, 2026, had not corrected them, risking loss of federal funding if deficiencies aren't fixed within 90 days (a county action plan is due Nov. 1).

Public tax records show executives at Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s saw major pay increases from 2020 to 2024, with LVHN CEO Brian Nester earning $5.8 million in 2024 and St. Luke’s CEO Richard Anderson earning $4.5 million (LVHN merged with Jefferson in Aug.).