1+ mon, 2+ day ago (533+ words) Here are the food safety inspection reports from Lehigh and Northampton counties, conducted the week of Oct. 12. Each week, we highlight the inspection reports provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The department performs the inspections in many areas, while some municipalities such as Allentown and Bethlehem conduct their own inspections. All establishments are inspected once per year, and inspectors may return several more times if the initial inspection is not passed or complaints are received. (For more information on how food safety inspections are conducted in Pennsylvania, view a list of FAQs.) As noted by the Department of Agriculture, the reports are merely a "snapshot" in time, and they may not be representative of the restaurant's long-term condition. Many of the violations are corrected on the spot prior to the inspector leaving the establishment. If a food provider is…...

3+ day, 17+ hour ago (286+ words) A manufacturer in Tatamy that makes safety storage products was recently acquired by a Chester County company. Equipto, which has a 160,000-square-foot plant along Main Street, employs more than 100 workers, all of whom will keep their jobs, according to new owner Ballymore Safety Products. "We view Equipto as one of the industry leaders in manufacturing products that improve space utilization for its customers," said Vince Halma, president and CEO of the Coatesville company. "The acquisition of Equipto brings Ballymore into new categories for our customers." A sales price was not disclosed. "Equipto's manufacturing capabilities continue to deepen Ballymore's footprint within material handling and storage, while continuing to demonstrate Ballymore's commitment to domestic manufacturing," Halma said. "We are excited to welcome Equipto's team to the Ballymore family." Ballymore is a portfolio company of One Equity Partners, a middle market private equity…...

8+ mon, 3+ week ago (521+ words) Here are the food safety inspection reports from Lehigh and Northampton counties, conducted the week of Feb. 16. Each week, we highlight the inspection reports provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The department performs the inspections in many areas, while some municipalities such as Allentown and Bethlehem conduct their own inspections. All establishments are inspected once per year, and inspectors may return several more times if the initial inspection is not passed or complaints are received. (For more information on how food safety inspections are conducted in Pennsylvania, view a list of FAQs.) As noted by the Department of Agriculture, the reports are merely a "snapshot" in time, and they may not be representative of the restaurant's long-term condition. Many of the violations are corrected on the spot prior to the inspector leaving the establishment. If a food provider is…...

2+ mon, 2+ week ago (558+ words) A man arrested after investigators said they found 14 explosive devices in a safe in a Lebanon County home had more explosive devices in his Lancaster County home, authorities said. After initially finding the devices Tuesday morning in a Newburg Village home in Millcreek Township about 2 miles west of Womelsdorf, police began searching for Timothy Shaeffer Jr., 40, of Columbia. According to a release from Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf: The DA's office approved tracking Shaeffer's cellphone. Law enforcement tracked Shaeffer's last known address to Lancaster County. Police pinged Shaeffer's cellphone to obtain his location, and state police arrested him Tuesday evening in Columbia. State police on Wednesday obtained a warrant to search Shaeffer's home. The FBI and state police found multiple electronics and another remote firing system/device similar to one seized Tuesday. Investigators said the remote detonation device…...

10+ mon, 1+ week ago (191+ words) Record Alert is a free service for any resident in the county or anyone who has property located in the county. The Clerk of Judicial Records in Lehigh County has started a new program, Record Alert, to protect residents from identity theft. Record Alert is a free service for any resident in the county or anyone who has property located in the county. To register for the service, go to lehighcounty.org/Services/Deeds/Record Alert. The service allows for residents to receive alerts via text or email when a document is recorded involving their property. The alert details the parcel number of the property, instrument number, document type and date recorded. The county is offering this service to put residents at ease and allow for them to ensure that no fraudulent documents are being filed, taking out a mortgage…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (623+ words) Here are the food safety inspection reports from Lehigh and Northampton counties, conducted the week of Oct. 19. Each week, we highlight the inspection reports provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The department performs the inspections in many areas, while some municipalities such as Allentown and Bethlehem conduct their own inspections. All establishments are inspected once per year, and inspectors may return several more times if the initial inspection is not passed or complaints are received. (For more information on how food safety inspections are conducted in Pennsylvania, view a list of FAQs.) As noted by the Department of Agriculture, the reports are merely a "snapshot" in time, and they may not be representative of the restaurant's long-term condition. Many of the violations are corrected on the spot prior to the inspector leaving the establishment. If a food provider is…...

3+ mon, 15+ hour ago (869+ words) The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General was the victim of a ransomware attack earlier this month, Spotlight PA has learned. The attack, first reported by the office as a "cyber incident," has impaired many functions of the agency, as some staff and prosecutors remain unable to access archived emails, files, and internal systems crucial to pursuing cases on behalf of the commonwealth. The office confirmed the attack to Spotlight PA on Friday. "The interruption was caused by an outsider encrypting files in an effort to force the office to make a payment to restore operations," according to a statement shared by the office. "No payment has been made. An active investigation is ongoing with other agencies, which limits our ability to comment further on the investigation or response to the incident." The Office of the Attorney General is the state's…...

3+ mon, 4+ week ago (483+ words) Responding to a Right-to-Know Law request from a government watchdog group, Catasauqua accidentally released unredacted W-2 tax forms of 70 employees and former employees, exposing their Social Security numbers and other personal data, a borough official confirmed. Borough Manager Glenn Eckhart said the incident happened last month when the group, Open the Books, asked for employee salaries and the amount of money in the general fund and other accounts for 2024, all of which is public record. Eckhart said employees determined the fastest way to provide the salary information was by providing redacted W-2 forms disclosing only salaries, but he acknowledged it should have been compiled a different way. Pennsylvania courts ruled more than a decade ago that employee tax forms, confidential under federal law, can't be released even if redacted. In this case, the forms weren't redacted before they were emailed to the…...

3+ mon, 2+ week ago (584+ words) Here are the food safety inspection reports from Lehigh and Northampton counties, conducted the week of July 20. Each week, we highlight the inspection reports provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The department performs the inspections in many areas, while some municipalities such as Allentown and Bethlehem conduct their own inspections. All establishments are inspected once per year, and inspectors may return several more times if the initial inspection is not passed or complaints are received. (For more information on how food safety inspections are conducted in Pennsylvania, view a list of FAQs.) As noted by the Department of Agriculture, the reports are merely a "snapshot" in time, and they may not be representative of the restaurant's long-term condition. Many of the violations are corrected on the spot prior to the inspector leaving the establishment. If a food provider is…...

1+ mon, 3+ week ago (110+ words) Wondering how much that home in your neighborhood recently sold for? The Morning Call lists all real estate transactions in Lehigh and Northampton counties during the last 30 days. The table below shows deed transfers reordered in the Lehigh Valley during that time. The information is provided by the Recorder of Deeds office in each county. The properties are not identified as commercial, residential or vacant land. The list is sortable and full-text searchable. Search a Zip code to narrow results to an area. For instance, enter "18067" in the search box to find all transactions in Northampton Borough and Allen Twp. Check back to see the latest listings....