Mainly clear, cool, and comfortable. Some patchy fog late..

Mainly clear, cool, and comfortable. Some patchy fog late.

Viewed from the Foresthill community in Placer County, Calif., an air tanker drops retardant on the Mosquito Fire as it burns near Volcanoville on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022.

Forces are beginning to collide in California as wildfires threaten communities, an epic heat wave stresses the electrical grid and moisture from a Pacific tropical storm is expected to bring threats of thunderstorms and floods. Firefighters are struggling Thursday to control major wildfires in Southern California and the Sierra Nevada that have grown explosively, killed two people, forced evacuations and are producing smoke that could interfere with solar power production. Clouds from outer bands of the storm are also a potential problem for solar power, and the state's grid operators have again called for energy conservation. The storm lost hurricane strength but was still expected to send a surge of moisture into California Friday evening.

A tropical storm nearing Southern California has brought fierce mountain winds, high humidity, rain and the threat of flooding to a region already dealing with wildfires and an extraordinary heat wave. In a mix of bad and good, firefighters fear winds Friday could expand the massive Fairview Fire 70 miles north of San Diego, while forecasters say the system will finally end the state's long heat wave. Downgraded from hurricane status, Tropical Storm Kay is expected to continue north off Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and veer west without making landfall in Southern California. Its moisture is expected surge farther north into the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada, where the dangerous Mosquito Fire is burning.

If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

- The Cadillac Pub opens where Klingers used to be at 24 E. Main Street in Fleetwood

- II-VI Inc. (pronounced "two-six") will become Coherent Corp., taking on the name of a company it recently acquired.

- ABEC, a company that provides services and products to the pharmaceutical industry, with headquarters in Northampton County, will invest in a new disposable-container facility in North Carolina.

- A new Lehigh Valley Martial Arts center will hold a grand opening starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, with a ribbon-cutting shortly afterward.

- Bethlehem Township's planning commission has approved an Amazon parking lot with 248 spaces at Brodhead and Mowrer roads.

- The Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board rejected variance requests that would have allowed multifamily homes to go up on the Southside properties at 508-512 Selfridge St.

- Northampton County Council voted 1-8 against a tax break for development of a proposed warehouse at the Dixie Cup building on South 25 Street in Wilson Borough.

- The former Valley Farm Market, now known as Gerrity's Valley Farm Market, will take on a new name as of Oct. 14: Gerrity's The Fresh Grocer.

- Hamsa Exoticz is already open at the Lehigh Valley Mall, but it will hold a grand opening at 5 p.m. Sept. 16 with the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce.

- A new Home Depot will open a 136,048-square-foot building on about 21 acres of vacant land just off Hamilton Boulevard in Lower Macungie Township.

- Rocco Ayvazov's Monocacy General Contracting received approval from the Bethlehem Planning Commission to put up a six-story building with 55 apartments and retail space on the first floor at 128 E. Third St.

- The old Allen Organ showroom building on Route 100 in Lower Macungie Township will come down and about 100 total apartment units will go up.

- Reading Hospitality's Catering by DoubleTree will handle food at events at Reading Country Club, after Exeter Township supervisors approved a new agreement.

- Natural healing is the goal at Reike Balance, which will open Sept. 9. on Reading Avenue in West Reading.

- The Pocono Chamber of Commerce held a grand opening at the Bartonsville branch of Farmhouse Cafe.

- The reopening date for the historic Frenchtown Inn building overlooking the Delaware River in New Jersey remains unclear. 

- River Paws, a pet-supply store, is across Race Street from the Frenchtown Pharmacy.

- The planned reopening date of Aug. 13 for Toby's Cup was pushed back after ownership said a dispute about the occupancy of a home on the hot dog stand's property delayed the reopening.

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