State & Regional News

Politicians, community members and family of the late state Rep. James Prendergast came out for the dedication of the 13th Street Bridge in his honor Thursday morning.

A strong storm system will bring gusty winds and heavy rain to the Lehigh Valley beginning late Wednesday night and into Thursday, forecasters say, with the look and feel of a nor'easter.

On average, each commuter in the Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton area lost 36 hours to gridlock in 2024 and burned 12 gallons of fuel idling on congested roads, according to the 2025 Urban Mobility Report.

State Rep. Josh Siegel has raised more than $447,000 toward his Lehigh County executive campaign since March — just short of the record Don Cunningham set in 2005. Siegel, a Democrat, has outspent Republican Roger MacLean by a nearly 10-to-1 margin this election cycle.

A little more than a month into Pennsylvania’s fall foliage season, both Lehigh and Northampton counties are predicted to be at peak color.

The move announced Monday affects patients at LVHN hospitals and offices in the Lehigh Valley – those properties that were providing care before Jefferson Health’s acquisition of LVHN last summer.

Pennsylvania lawmakers were supposed to have a budget in place July 1. Their unwillingness to fulfill their responsibility to fund state government is disrupting many providers of early learning services.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Bucks/Lehigh, was the prime sponsor of the legislation now awaiting Gov. Josh Shapiro's signature. The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in the state House and Senate.

Lehigh University hosted a symposium examining ways to bolster electric and water systems to cope with the demands of data centers. Getting it right could mean hundreds of new jobs — and a place leading the next generation of technology infrastructure.

With electricity costs jumping across the country, PPL has requested that the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission allow it to raise its rates. The PUC will hold public hearings and collect testimony as it considers it.

Stanley cups have skyrocketed in popularity, following other trends in reusable drinkware. But, fads like these can encourage overconsumption, experts said.

The state agency that promotes hunting in Pennsylvania has hired a lobbying firm run by a former top lawmaker using tens of thousands of dollars in public funds.

Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to invest more money in Pennsylvania's transit authorities. The money could plug a funding gap at LANTA as COVID relief dollars run dry, said Executive Director Owen O'Neil.

Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed increasing basic education funding by $1.1 billion, laying the groundwork to slash tuition costs at state-owned schools and taking out a $500 million bond to spur economic development.

Gov. Shapiro will deliver his budget address on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The deadline to deliver a completed spending plan is June 30.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, state parks across Pennsylvania were inundated with visitors.

State officials late last month announced the theme for this year’s annual tick-themed art contest, “Protect. Check. Remove.” Last year, there were no winners in the Lehigh Valley.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Republican congressional candidates Maria Montero and Ryan Mackenzie criticized U.S. Rep. Susan Wild after she said Carbon County "drank the Trump Kool-Aid" on a conference call with prominent Pennsylvania Democrats.

News Director Jen Rehill talks with journalists Tom Shortell and Brittany Sweeney.

More than $2 million was allocated to nine organizations across Pennsylvania to fund various research efforts, all linked to the state’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry.

Campaign finance reports show Republican Kevin Dellicker outraised the rest of the GOP field combined in his bid for PA-7. But Democratic incumbent Susan Wild raised twice as much as all of the Republicans put together.