State & Regional News

Catch some loose odds and ends from Tom Shortell's coverage in Washington, D.C., last week.

Republicans were the primary engineers behind the Berks County Democrat’s candidacy and announcement — and even wrote his acceptance speech.

Doctors say Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin is awake. But for viewers, watching his collapse on live TV could be leaving a lasting impact. A local psychologist says collective trauma can make people anxious.

Wolf said his request is “a critical step to allow the General Assembly to focus their work on this important, and potentially life-saving, task.”

The grant was originally announced in September, but budget complications delayed the delivery of the money to New Bethany Ministries homeless shelter in Bethlehem.

In the Pennsylvania Capitol, no other issue defines the legislative career of newly minted state House Speaker Mark Rozzi more than helping survivors of decades-old sexual abuse.

The sixty-two-year-old Democratic senator says he's fortunate to have good healthcare and he "can deal with this" while he prepares for surgery.

Some are hopeful the chamber will finally pass rule changes aimed at giving all lawmakers a say in making policy, but there’s reason to be skeptical.

Workers and their dependents can now get up to $2,000 a year for tuition, room and board at any of the 10 Pennsylvania State System universities.

Aiden Gonzalez, of Bethlehem, is the latest Democratic candidate looking to represent Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.

An external audit of 114 cases handled by former U.S. Center for SafeSport investigator Jason Krasley — a former Allentown police officer — led to the watchdog agency's reopening of three of those cases.

As various entities continue to collect revenue from automated school bus camera enforcement, they’ve failed to meet one of the law’s most basic transparency requirements — publishing an annual public report and operational data on how the system is operating.

Co-hosted by a father-daughter duo, the show is focused on renovation, but the pair said they also wanted to create family-friendly entertainment while working to preserve existing farms from development.

An Idaho-based meat company has issued a recall for ground beef potentially contaminated with E. coli, which may have been sold in Pennsylvania and several other states.

One of Bethlehem's previous ESG application process in 2024 came on behalf of 12 area organizations, such as New Bethany, Third Street Alliance, VETBEDS and Valley Youth House.

Updated federal income tax brackets take effect in 2026, lowering the amount of income taxed at higher rates for many households.

Locally, housing costs still remain lower than national averages, but data from real estate marketplaces compared with U.S. Census data in Lehigh and Northampton counties show housing affordability still is a struggle.

“If it does come down in any area, which most areas will see at least some snow showers from it, it is going to stick everywhere," one local forecaster said.

Pennsylvania’s distracted driving law will take full effect in 2026, marking one of the most consequential legal shifts for motorists in years and headlining a slate of new laws set to roll out across the Commonwealth.

Weather was the main culprit for thousands of power outages that spanned the region early Tuesday.

As the New Year approaches, minds turn to the classic resolution. But who still makes New Year's resolutions? What are the most popular ones? And how many follow through?