State & Regional News

This week on Watching the Skies, WLVR's Brad Klein and Bethlehem's Backyard Astronomy Guy, Marty McGuire talk about the planet Venus and its role as the "morning star."

Ryan Mackenzie, the Lehigh Valley's freshman congressman, cast an essential vote to move President Donald Trump's signature bill through the U.S. House last week. His would-be Democratic opponents say he's sold out poor families to give billionaires a tax break.

State Treasurer Stacy Garrity said her department has returned 500 military medals and pieces of memorabilia to veterans and their families since 2021.

The state Department of Environmental Protection announced $1 million in grants to promote environmental education and stewardship across the state. Four Lehigh Valley programs received funding.

The LVPC on Thursday hosted a workshop, “Planning + Pizza: Deploying Electric Vehicle Infrastructure,” aiming to collect feedback about where best to deploy EV infrastructure throughout the region.

Overall, 31 of the region’s 35 major climate sites were wetter than normal, with 22 of them experiencing one of their 20 wettest May 1-15 periods. Allentown took the top spot, experiencing its wettest May 1-15 ever.

The Lehigh Valley's public transit system says it will have to cut service by 20 percent and boost fares by 25 percent without additional state funding — something that Gov. Josh Shapiro has called for but that lawmakers will have to approve.

Tuesday, May 20, is Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania. Several high-profile local races are on the ballot in Lehigh and Northampton counties. Check out our procrastinator's guide and Q&A.

Drivers who have been ticketed for school bus camera violations say the process to contest them needs to change. PennDOT said thousands of citations across seven Lehigh Valley school districts are still awaiting hearings.

Republicans Roger MacLean and Mike Welsh have spent less than $8,000 combined on their race. Meanwhile, their Democratic opponent Josh Siegel has amassed more than $180,000 in his war chest. The primary election is Tuesday, May 20.

The Lehigh County Conservation District and Dieruff High School are partnering to transform a vacant courtyard at the school into an urban garden.

A team of students from Bangor Area High School placed ninth in this year's statewide Envirothon competition, essentially a scholastic scrimmage for environmental science. The team placed first for the wildlife station.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild supported a plan Wednesday to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling. If an agreement is not reached in the next week, the U.S. could devastate the global economy by defaulting on its debt.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk met up with his counterparts from Scranton and Williamsport on Wednesday as part of a tour to highlight projects funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.

A beautiful May has left the Lehigh Valley searching for a drop in the bucket — a drop of rain, that is, after one of the driest months on record.

A red fox in Northampton County earlier this month became the first mammal in the Lehigh Valley to contract bird flu.

The salad, sold by Wegmans, has been found to contain undeclared milk, posing a potential risk to individuals with milk allergies.

The Pennsylvania Humane Society honored a number of animal rights advocates Friday, including state Rep. Jeanne McNeill for her efforts to fight puppy mills in Pennsylvania.

As a high pressure system moves in over the Lehigh Valley, we can expect dry, mostly sunny conditions, at least for parts of the region until Sunday.

The program will be operated by Mid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Services (MARS) and is paid for by lawsuits against opiate manufacturers.

Shapiro will make stops in Allentown and South Whitehall Township

The spring migration count at Hawk Mountain has ended with counts 25% above the 10-year average.