Why Allentown has struggled to shut down after-hours clubs
After-hours clubs in Allentown have been the scene of at least three killings since 2023, as well as one of the Lehigh Valley’s worst mass shootings. The latest incident occurred in February outside a business registered as a fast food joint that was operating as a nightclub without proper authorization. It was the first and, so far, only homicide in the city in 2025. Faced with lawsuits over attempts to shut down these clubs, City Council passed a nuisance abatement ordinance in 2023 to try to crack down on them. However, officials say they’re hindered from taking immediate action. Advocates say more needs to be done, and more swiftly.
Bethlehem Township husband charged with killing wife
A Bethlehem Township man is accused of fatally stabbing his wife Tuesday morning, according to authorities. Township police said James Christopher Frank, 57, admitted to killing his wife, Deborah Glaser, 55, in their home in the 2100 block of Third Street. When officers met Frank at his home, he told them, “My wife is dead in the bathtub,” according to court documents. Frank was arraigned Tuesday night on a charge of homicide, and sent to Northampton County Jail without bail.
Missing Palmer teen’s disappearance isn’t a criminal matter, DA says
The disappearance of a Palmer Township teen two months ago is not considered a criminal matter, Northampton County’s district attorney said Tuesday. District Attorney Stephen G. Baratta also said in a news release that law enforcement authorities believe Enci “Aubrey” Wu’s intent was to leave the Lehigh Valley. The 14-year-old Easton Area High School freshman was last seen Jan. 11 in Whitehall Township.
3 Lehigh Valley schools warned of federal action over antisemitism
Lafayette College, Lehigh University and Muhlenberg College were among 60 higher education institutions sent warning letters from the U.S. Department of Education on Monday threatening “potential enforcement actions” due to investigations into alleged failures to protect Jewish students. A news release announcing the warning letters said they were sent to “all U.S. universities that are presently under investigation for Title VI [of the Civil Rights Act] violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.” Lafayette, Lehigh and Muhlenberg had all reached settlements with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights regarding concluded investigations.
Northampton basketball all-stater Jimmy Schneider dies at 69
Jim Schneider, the son of legendary coach Pete Schneider, uncle of former Major League baseball player Brian “Hoops” Schneider, and brother of longtime Northampton coach and athletic director Mike Schneider, has died at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer. Schneider was a first-team all-state selection as a Northampton senior and over his last two seasons playing for Bob Nemeth’s juggernaut amassed nearly 800 points and 1,000 rebounds. In those two seasons, Northampton went a combined 49-6.
$30K in counterfeit cosmetics, Sharpie pens seized by customs agents
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly $30,000 in counterfeit cosmetics and Sharpie pens headed to addresses in the Lehigh Valley and Berks County over the last month. The agency said in a news release Tuesday that four shipments of counterfeit objects valued at roughly $28,550, had been seized by agents since the beginning of February. Counterfeit cosmetics can have chemicals that could cause health issues, the release states. Counterfeiters make goods using “substandard materials” that could break prematurely or hurt people, and may also be made in facilities that use forced labor, the agency said.
Lehigh County counselor secretly recorded women in bathroom of office, DA says
A counselor from Alburtis with offices in Bucks and Berks counties is accused of secretly recording women in his Quakertown office, according to authorities. The Bucks County district attorney’s office said in a news release that Jonathan Elliot Moyer set up a hidden camera in the bathroom of his office that secretly recorded four women. Moyer is charged with intercepting communications and possessing a device for intercepting communications, which are felonies, as well as misdemeanors of invasion of privacy.
