{"id":74928,"date":"2025-12-31T18:33:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T18:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/74928\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T18:33:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T18:33:10","slug":"farewell-2025-our-favorite-stories-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/74928\/","title":{"rendered":"Farewell 2025: Our favorite stories of the year"},"content":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 There was a lot to cover in 2025. But of the thousands of stories published on LehighValleyNews.com<\/a> this year, we asked our news team not to recall the biggest ones.<\/p>\n

Instead, we wanted to know their favorites.<\/p>\n

From a high school club formed to help immigrant classmates to a bald eagle that found new love, here\u2019s how our staffers responded:<\/p>\n

Star of Bethlehem<\/p>\n

This one seems especially appropriate this time of year. Will Oliver\u2019s story about brightening the Bethlehem star<\/a> atop South Mountain caught as much attention as the beacon itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just driving home one day and ended up looking up at the star and kind of squinted, thinking, \u201cDang, something\u2019s different up there,\u201d he recalled. Will also enjoyed the varied \u2013 and plentiful \u2013 reactions the story brought: \u201cWow! Love my hometown, O Little Town of Bethlehem!!\u201d \u2026 and \u2026 \u201cReally? New lightbulbs? Must be a slow news day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bald<\/p>\n

Brad Klein<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n

A male bald eagle vocalizes, or calls, from a cell tower within sight of his longtime nest in Saucon Park in Bethlehem on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.<\/p>\n

Music and romance<\/p>\n

WLVR \u201cMorning Edition\u201d host Brad Klein has an affinity for bluegrass music and nature. And both of those worked their way into his favorites of the year. He previewed a Bucks County performance by acoustic supergroup<\/a> Phillips, Grier & Flinner \u2013 and interviewed mandolin and banjo player Matt Flinner on the radio.<\/p>\n

When a female bald eagle that nested in Saucon Park died of suspected avian flu in February, Brad produced a story \u2013 as well as photographic evidence<\/a> \u2013 about how a surviving male eagle found new love. He also produced an audio interview with ecologist Carl Safina.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_5972.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Brian Myszkowski<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n

1525 Wood Ave. near the border of Easton, Wilson Borough and Palmer Township \u2014 the site of the proposed Easton Commerce Park project.<\/p>\n

Putting up a fight<\/p>\n

Brian Myszkowski\u2019s favorites involved residents standing up and speaking out. Folks organized against plans for a 1-million-square-foot warehouse<\/a> planned off Wood Avenue in the Easton area.<\/p>\n

And this story about owners of manufactured homes protesting rising lot rental prices<\/a> inspired responses from like-minded owners across the country.<\/p>\n

\"LUAG<\/p>\n

Centennial celebration<\/p>\n

Micaela Hood recalled the September celebration of Lehigh University Art Galleries\u2019 100th anniversary<\/a> \u2013 for both the content and the contacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never seen Zoellner Arts Center so crowded,\u201d she said. \u201cAs an arts and culture reporter, it\u2019s important to know who the movers and shakers are in the creative world. That busy night allowed me to say hello to artists I had already met, plus engage in new works and network.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Caminos<\/p>\n

Jenny Roberts<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n

From left to right, Yeisse Jimenez, Beatriz Gambourg-Schuster, Yahelis Feliz, Loreline Carmona and Carolyn Pavone. Jimenez, Feliz and Carmona are student mentors. Gambourg-Schuster, a Dieruff guidance counselor, and Pavone, a therapist partnering with ASD, develop trauma-informed activities for the students. <\/p>\n

\u2018Helping each other\u2019<\/p>\n

As the Trump administration cracked down on immigration in unprecedented ways, education reporter Jenny Roberts profiled a student group at Dieruff High School<\/a>, Caminos de Esperanza, helping immigrant students learn English, make friends and process trauma.<\/p>\n

She also took a deep dive into an anti-violence initiative at Raub Middle School. Her resulting story showcased the effort to alleviate the societal burdens of poverty and gun violence<\/a> on students \u2013 and how the work is paying off.<\/p>\n

\"Rt.<\/p>\n

Donna S. Fisher\/Donna Fisher Photography, LLC<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

For LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n

This is traffic on rt. 22 between the MacArthur Road and Fullerton Avenue exits in Whitehall Township on Monday, March 17, 2025. Westbound traffic is at left. Photography by Donna S. Fisher<\/p>\n

Stuck in traffic<\/p>\n

Tom Shortell kicked off what would become a yearlong project with his look at something we\u2019re all familiar with \u2013 Lehigh Valley traffic. His analysis<\/a> set the tone for The Road Ahead series<\/a> and found new traffic hotspots fueled by the region\u2019s explosion of warehouse development.<\/p>\n

\"Allentown<\/p>\n

Inset photo Distributed BusPatrol \/ background Donna Fisher <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Donna S. Fisher For LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n

The state Office of Open Records has ordered the Allentown School District to release records connected to BusPatrol, the contractor responsible for administering the district\u2019s stop-arm camera enforcement program.<\/p>\n

Open records battle<\/p>\n

Managing producer Stephanie Sigafoos went on a wild ride<\/a> as she dug into a school bus-stop camera system used by scores of school districts in Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. The resulting battle for open records<\/a> with the Allentown School District, the city of Allentown, and system vendor BusPatrol resulted in victories for public access and inspection.<\/p>\n

As a result, a lawmaker is proposing changes to the citation appeal process<\/a> and PennDOT is establishing a system to break a logjam of thousands of unheard and unresolved citation appeals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Corn<\/p>\n

Provided<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Heather Grab, Penn State<\/p>\n

An annual pest across Pennsylvania, corn earworms can cause damage to both sweet and field corn, cutting into farmers\u2019 profits and home-gardeners\u2019 yields. <\/p>\n

Of sky domes and earworms<\/p>\n

Science & environment reporter Molly Bilinski says she loves writing about people who are passionate about what they do. That\u2019s what she found in her story about plans for an $11 million sky dome<\/a> at Nurture Nature Center in Easton.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also really appreciate learning on the job, and that\u2019s how I ended up writing about corn earworms this summer,\u201d she said. \u201cI had never heard of them before, but I quickly found out I\u2019ve probably picked more than one off an ear of sweet corn over my lifetime, and you probably have, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a story that might give you pause the next time<\/a> corn on the cob is on the menu.<\/p>\n

\"northampton<\/p>\n

Ryan Gaylor<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n

Members of Service Employees International Union Local 668 gather outside the Northampton County Human Services Building in Bethlehem Township Friday to denounce plans for possible furloughs of county human services staff.<\/p>\n

State budget stalemate<\/p>\n

One of Pennsylvania\u2019s top stories of 2025 was the Legislature\u2019s inability to approve a budget in time for the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. Lawmakers didn\u2019t sign off on a spending plan until mid-November \u2013 signed by Shapiro 135 days late.<\/p>\n

Reporter Ryan Gaylor covered the impasse\u2019s effect on county services, workers<\/a> and local spending<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe uncertainty the situation caused for county officials, employees, nonprofits, and residents depending on services — and the reminder of how state government, local government and nonprofits work together to provide a social safety net that residents depend on — really encapsulates the budget impasse for me and the stakes of resolving it,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the end of the day, lines in a budget are about people.\u201d<\/p>\n

A mother\u2019s quest for answers<\/p>\n

Brittany Sweeney\u2019s April story about a 12-year-old Nazareth boy\u2019s struggles with PANS and PANDAS<\/a> \u2013 neuro-psychiatric disorders caused by viruses and bacteria \u2013 spotlighted a mother\u2019s instincts.<\/p>\n

The story detailed mom Nicole Blaine\u2019s quest to help her child and the treatment her son Matthew received.<\/p>\n

\"AMiracleCommunity.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Jason Addy<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n

Marsha Curry-Nixon, founder and executive director of Amiracle4sure, speaks Monday, Aug. 25 at “A Miracle Community,” a safe camping site in Harrisburg run by her nonprofit. <\/p>\n

‘Miracle Community’<\/p>\n

In Allentown, the impending shutdown of a homeless encampment along Jordan Creek left many people looking for solutions.<\/p>\n

Reporter Jason Addy traveled to Harrisburg to check out a “safe camping” site<\/a> and see how it might work in the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 There was a lot to cover in 2025. But of the thousands of stories published…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74929,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,38561,38559,38385,38560,38562],"class_list":["post-74928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-favorite-stories-of-the-year","tag-lehigh-valley-news","tag-lehigh-valley-public-media","tag-lehighvalleynews-com-favorite-stories","tag-top-stories-lehigh-valley-2025"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}