The Morning Call

After increase in traffic deaths, Allentown officials urge caution on the roads: ‘This is about personal responsibility’

Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said Lehigh County has already seen 37 roadway deaths in 2025, which he estimated is about a 20% year-over-year increase.

Motorists drive by as officials from Allentown and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office hold a joint news conference to address the recent rise in road fatalities in the area and efforts to improve traffic safety. With Labor Day weekend approaching — a time historically associated with increased traffic and crash risk — city and county leaders are urging the community to drive safely, follow traffic laws, and help prevent further loss of life. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca speaks as officials from Allentown and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office hold a joint news conference to address the recent rise in road fatalities in the area and efforts to improve traffic safety. With Labor Day weekend approaching — a time historically associated with increased traffic and crash risk — city and county leaders are urging the community to drive safely, follow traffic laws, and help prevent further loss of life. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Pedestrians cross the road as officials from Allentown and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office hold a joint news conference to address the recent rise in road fatalities in the area and efforts to improve traffic safety. With Labor Day weekend approaching — a time historically associated with increased traffic and crash risk — city and county leaders are urging the community to drive safely, follow traffic laws, and help prevent further loss of life. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

The intersection of Seventh and Tilghman streets is see as officials from Allentown and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office hold a joint news conference to address the recent rise in road fatalities in the area and efforts to improve traffic safety. With Labor Day weekend approaching — a time historically associated with increased traffic and crash risk — city and county leaders are urging the community to drive safely, follow traffic laws, and help prevent further loss of life. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk speaks as officials from Allentown and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office hold a joint news conference to address the recent rise in road fatalities in the area and efforts to improve traffic safety. With Labor Day weekend approaching — a time historically associated with increased traffic and crash risk — city and county leaders are urging the community to drive safely, follow traffic laws, and help prevent further loss of life. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio speaks as officials from Allentown and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office hold a joint news conference to address the recent rise in road fatalities in the area and efforts to improve traffic safety. With Labor Day weekend approaching — a time historically associated with increased traffic and crash risk — city and county leaders are urging the community to drive safely, follow traffic laws, and help prevent further loss of life. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

The intersection of Seventh and Tilghman streets is see as officials from Allentown and the Lehigh County coroner’s office hold a joint news conference to address the recent rise in road fatalities in the area and efforts to improve traffic safety. With Labor Day weekend approaching — a time historically associated with increased traffic and crash risk — city and county leaders are urging the community to drive safely, follow traffic laws, and help prevent further loss of life. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

1 of 11

Expand

Pa. attorney general’s office takes over prosecution of Allentown officers charged with sex crimes

Siblings Barbara Scattene and Billy Fisk stand together Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, at the soon-to-close Fisk Camera Shop in Wilson. They’re holding a collage that depicts themselves and their father William Fisk III. (Graysen Golter/The Morning Call)

Century-old camera shop in Lehigh Valley to close

Seen here on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, the Sonesta Select hotel in Bethlehem was recently sold, along with the adjacent Sonesta Suites hotel, for a combined $13.1 million. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Pair of hotels near Lehigh Valley airport are sold for $13.1 million

Kevin Hoffman, second from right, was part of a District 11 football officiating crew that worked the 2020 PIAA Class A title game between Steelton-Highspire and Jeannette. Hoffman died this week at the age of 64 after a battle with stomach cancer. (Contributed photo)

Lehigh Valley high school football: EPC football Week 2 picks and remembering a true team player

Latest Headlines

3 NASA rockets may be visible in Lehigh Valley, eastern Pa. sky Wednesday night

14 hours ago
A shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school kills 2 children, injures 17 people

8 hours ago
A match made in heaven? Labor, religion can unite against environmental crises, DeSales panelists say

11 hours ago
Eagles bring back McCord, cut McCollum and Keegan

24 minutes ago
What will winter look like this year in the Lehigh Valley? Here’s what the Almanacs predict

17 hours ago
Ex-Allentown police officer gets time-served sentence for threatening wife in Northampton County home

14 hours ago
Allentown Fair: Here’s the complete schedule, from livestock judging to grandstand performers

3 days ago
Sign up for email newsletters
Sign Up

Local News

Allentown Fair 2025 on Wednesday | PHOTOS

People enjoy the food, sights and sounds Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, at the Allentown Fair, which continues through Monday.

Sports

Lehigh Valley high school football: EPC football Week 2 picks and remembering a true team player

As Week 2 begins, the local football community mourns the loss of longtime official, Northampton's Kevin Hoffman

Things to Do

People enjoy the food, sights and sounds Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at the Allentown Fair. This year's fair returns Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (David Garrett/Special to The Morning Call)

Allentown Fair guide: What you need to know about the concerts, demolition derby, food and more

The 173nd Allentown Fair returns Wednesday with concerts, rides, food and plenty of family fun. Here’s what you need to know.

Old Fountain Hill Elementary School almost gone as demolition nears an end | PHOTOS

Photos: Demolition continued Tuesday on the old Fountain Hill Elementary School building in Fountain Hill. A day earlier, a "Fountain Hill High School" placard met its demise.
First day of school in the Lehigh Valley | PHOTOS
Faces in the Crowd Freedom Football | PHOTOS
Freedom High School Football opens season | PHOTOS
Emmaus vs. Neshaminy football and Faces in the Crowd | PHOTOS
Bangor at Saucon Valley football and Faces in the Crowd | PHOTOS
Torpedo Restoration Project Dedication at V.F.W Post 7293 in Whitehall Township | PHOTOS

Opinion

A truck prepares to unload recyclable plastic and glass on April 21, 2019 at the Lackawanna County Recycling Center in Scranton. A new approach to recycling plastic as a source for making other goods would help Pennsylvania's economy and environment, the author asserts. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO)

Your View: Recycling is key to a stronger Pa. economy, environmental future

Opinion: We need to start looking at end-of-life plastics as commodities

Crime and Public Safety

The Northampton County Courthouse in Easton. (Cameron Hart/The Morning Call)

Bethlehem man convicted of sexually assaulting child for years, DA says

A Bethlehem man faces 50-101 years in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting a...

Best Reviews

Best pizza pans

Keep reading to discover everything needed before buying the perfect pizza pan, including some recommendations.

Business

FILE – Visitors give commands to a robot at Nvidia’s booth during the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo at the China International Exhibition Center, in Beijing, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A., File)

Nvidia’s AI chip sales surged again in latest quarter, but worries about a tech bubble persist

Nvidia's stock slid nearly 3% in extended trading.

Pennsylvania News

People stand over the site where investigators say 40-year-old Ruth Miller of Millersburg, Ohio, drove a golf cart into Atwood Lake, Ohio Aug. 23, 2025, after she allegedly killed her 4-year-old son by throwing him into the lake. (Tuscarawas County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office via AP)

Amish woman accused of killing 4-year-old son by throwing him into an Ohio lake, told police she was testing her faith

An Amish woman who told authorities she was testing her faith when she threw her...

National News

The crowd files past the open casket of Emmett Till inside Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ to pay their respects at his funeral on Sept. 3, 1955, in Chicago. (Phil Mascione/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

Today in History: August 28, Emmett Till’s brutalized body found

Emmett Till, a Black teenager from Chicago, was abducted from his uncle’s home in Money,...

Allentown

Allentown City Council member Ce-Ce Gerlach to run for state representative

Progressive Democrat and Allentown City Council member Ce-Ce Gerlach is launching a campaign for state...

Bethlehem Area

The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley is seen Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, in Upper Saucon Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

‘Good fun for everybody’: Lehigh Valley pottery painting studio reopens at new location

A Lehigh Valley pottery painting studio has found a new home after it relocated last...

Featured

PROMOTIONS & SPECIALS

Latest Headlines

Most Popular

What will winter look like this year in the Lehigh Valley? Here’s what the Almanacs predict

Norfolk Southern asks Bethlehem to remove homeless encampment along Lehigh River

Nazareth community rallies around band drill director after employment questioned over ongoing school building project

It’s back-to-school time for fewer kids in Pennsylvania and Lehigh Valley districts

Century-old camera shop in Lehigh Valley to close

Pa. Turnpike expands ways to pay for tolls, including old-fashioned cash

Heart’s Nancy Wilson on Ann’s cancer diagnosis and band’s tour that includes Allentown Fair appearance

Eagles make roster cuts, plan more changes

Allentown Fair: Here’s the complete schedule, from livestock judging to grandstand performers

Slow down, leadfoot: As school year starts, police in this Lehigh Valley township step up speeding enforcement

FREE FUN & GAMES

MORNING CALL STORE

Events