State & Regional News

Here's all you need to know about the 2025 general election in the Lehigh Valley, where scores of local races are on the ballot — including county and municipal offices, plus school boards and Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention questions getting an unusual amount of attention.

Nancy Dischinat served as executive director of Workforce Board Lehigh Valley for the past 27 years, helping build an environment of skilled workers that created a sought-out business environment.

The partisan divide is still a reality when it comes to Pennsylvania's mail-in ballot system. Democrats accounted for nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvania's requests. More than 1 million people statewide requested a mail-in ballot, according to the state.

Lawmakers were told that while insurance companies must notify PennDOT when a policy is canceled, the new insurer is not required to report when coverage is reinstated.

Democrats Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht are each seeking a second 10-year term on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. While retention questions normally receive little attention, the potential to flip control of the high court has drawn massive political spending in the off-year election.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, has organized a food drive while pinning the ongoing government shutdown on Senate Democrats. SNAP benefits that help feed millions of low-income Americans are hours away from expiring.

Two federal judge have ruled that the Trump administration must continue to fund the SNAP food aid program using contingency funds during the government shutdown. The administration has said it can't fund SNAP with the government shuttered.

A group of demonstrators called on Congress Friday to permanently protect the Arctic from drilling, as well as drum up support from Lehigh Valley residents.

A wind advisory goes into effect at 10 a.m. Friday for much of eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey, as strong westerly winds sweep through the region.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has filed an emergency motion in Lehigh County Court requesting that a judge unseal documents in at least 22 criminal cases tied to an interstate drug ring. Among the defendants is Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi.

The 2024 Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment is open now until August. It is a biannual survey that evaluates health needs and disparities among LGBTQ people in the state.

The 75-year-old Pen Argyl man was filmed tangling with riot police outside the U.S. Capitol Building as Congress tallied votes for the 2020 presidential election, according to federal prosecutors.

Judy Woodruff, former anchor of "PBS NewsHour," returned to Bethlehem on Tuesday for a pair of conversations about the war in Gaza. It's part of her "America at a Crossroads" project examining the deep divides in American politics.

City Council unanimously approved $25,000 for a housing market study and strategy for the Stefko-Pembroke area, highlighting demand there for affordable, market-rate rental and for-sale housing.

The time between Memorial Day to Labor Day is known as the '100 deadliest days,' according to AAA. The traffic safety non-profit says teen driving fatalities increase during that time, especially at night.

While monitoring continues, Lehigh Valley Breathes officials used the most recent project update to explain results from the research this spring at Lehigh University.

Forty-five lawmakers have co-sponsored a bill that would protect workers who make prefabricated structures used in government contracts in better-paying communities.

When all was said and done, May was the Lehigh Valley’s sixth consecutive warmer-than-normal month, with an average temperature of 63.4 degrees – or 1.4 degrees above normal. So what will summer bring?

During this year’s spring migration count, which runs from April 1 through mid-May, Hawk Mountain volunteers and staff tallied 1,001 birds of prey.

PennDOT officials have gone back and forth with the National Park Service as it seeks a special permit to begin repairs to Route 611 along the Monroe County-Northampton County border. A rockslide shut a 3-mile stretch in December 2022.

Protesters advocating for Palestinians hosted a dinner of "rubble and blood" outside the Americus Hotel in Allentown to challenge Democrats to change their policies related to Israel on Friday.

The Van Sant Airfield in Bucks County will hold a free event to foster a supportive environment that encourages dialogue and dismantles barriers that may hinder women from pursuing careers in aviation.