State & Regional News

With Memorial Day behind them, lawmakers are heading toward summer recess amid questions about what, if anything, they will be able to accomplish before voters return their attention to the fall elections.

Pennsylvania lawmakers moved closer to establishing a statewide restriction on student cell phone use in public schools, as the state House passed legislation requiring "bell-to-bell" phone bans during the school day.

The study, released late last week by the Delaware River Basin Commission, detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in surface water, sediment, fish and blue crab tissue collected throughout the basin, including along the tidal Delaware River.

On this week's Lehigh Valley Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick break down the 2026 primary election results.

Electric customers across Pennsylvania will see higher supply rates beginning June 1, adding new pressure to household budgets just as air conditioning demand starts to climb.

Firefighter union boss Bob Brooks swept each municipality in Lehigh County and nearly each one in Northampton County en route to his nearly 20-point victory in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District's Democratic primary Tuesday.

Jack Pletz, 24 and his father, Matthew Pletz, have been arrested. Seventeen explosive devices were found inside their pickup truck.

The district, now represented by Sen. Jarrett Coleman, a first-term Republican, covers much of Lehigh County's rural and suburban communities and the northern part of Bucks County.

Bob Brooks has declared victory in the Lehigh Valley's Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.

Tuesday is Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania. Lehigh Valley Democratic voters will cast ballots in the 7th Congressional District, 16th District state Senate, the 22nd District state House of Representatives and 187th District state House. Republicans have no races for those seats; GOP candidates in them are unopposed.

Former space shuttle astronaut Terry Hart, of Lower Saucon Township, believes the psychological impact of spending more than a year in space on a mission to Mars is impossible to predict.

VALOR Clinic Foundation gifted a group of companion puppies to several deserving veterans at their facility grounds on Wednesday, one of many services the organization offers to those who have served.

Every cellphone, television and radio in the United States will broadcast a message simultaneously on Oct. 4 as a test of both the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).

The Executive Forum of the Lehigh Valley hosted a panel discussion Wednesday morning that explored the region's economic growth and challenges ahead, including workforce development, housing, warehouses and education.

Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton all have tracts designated as environmental justice areas. Here's what that means, and how residents can help shape state policy.

In its third year, and hosted by the state’s GreenGov Council and Penn State Sustainability, Commonwealth Sustainability Week features daily, free webinars focused on climate change and sustainability efforts statewide.

As temperatures climb back into the 80s this week, PennDOT will begin to host job fairs in Lehigh and Northampton counties to fill a variety of positions for the winter season.

Gov. Josh Shapiro may be the only person in Bedford, NH who doesn't think he'll run for president in 2028.

Gov. Josh Shapiro addressed about 500 people at the New Hampshire Democratic Primary convention in Bedford, N.H., on Saturday. He denied his trip was an effort to kick the tires on a presidential run in 2028.

Bob Stem is the winningest football coach for two high schools — Bethlehem Catholic and Phillipsburg, his alma mater. Stem, a teacher and coach for most of his life, died Friday at age 84.

The results of a 2019 survey, published last week, shows a majority of Pennsylvania's streams are contaminated with PFAS, also called "forever chemicals." Five streams were tested in the Valley.

The Diocese of Allentown's Catholic Charities is not accepting new immigration cases, but the nonprofit is working to "rebuild" its program, a spokesperson said.