State & Regional News

Join Megan Frank at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. every Friday for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week, she's joined by Bethlehem reporter Will Oliver and Northampton County reporter Ryan Gaylor.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure says he'll run for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District seat in 2026, seeking to bring the seat back under Democratic control.

Stephen DeWeerth, professor and dean of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, called the endowment “a testament to the commitment of our alumni community in advancing Lehigh's mission of inspiring future makers."

With Bethlehem City Council adopting the 2024 Lehigh Valley Hazard Mitigation Plan on Tuesday, the city is now in place for potential federal financial assistance if a disaster, natural or human-caused, was to happen.

Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone introduced a new ordinance at the board's Wednesday meeting that would see marijuana possession and use reduced to summary offenses with fines.

Mark Pinsley also plans to publish a series of “plain-language reports” about how billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to cut the federal government will affect local municipalities, services and programs.

Lehigh Valley Health Network and Northampton County Chiefs of Police Association are expanding a program which helps those with autism and other communication issues interact with police when stopped.

The LVPC Environment Committee on Tuesday approved a proposal by Lower Nazareth Township to modify its Agricultural Security Area program. The ASA program lets farmland owners enroll their properties in an ASA, which then is managed by a municipality.

If you’ve ever thought about running for local office, you’ve probably had one big question above all: How do I get my campaign up and running? Tom Shortell and Sam Chen have the answers in this week's Political Pulse.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released further details of the arrest made at Northampton County Prison on Friday, again accusing Northampton County Prison of not cooperating. County Executive Lamont McClure challenges that.

The high cost of living is the biggest problem for rural voters, according to a new national survey commissioned by the Save the Children Action Network.

Disputes over partisanship led local organizations to schedule competing workshops for potential political candidates.

The commonwealth's unemployment rate has dipped below four percent for the first time since recording of the rate started.

For the 15th year in a row, the region, including the Lehigh Valley, is being recognized for the most organ donations in the country. Gift of Life Donor Program aided in reaching that goal.

The city's first major running festival since Runner's World's in 2019 will include a 5K, 10K and half-marathon.

Pennsylvania lawmakers are looking to remove a provision in state law that bars educators from wearing religious garb while in the classroom. The Senate approved the legislation by a 49-0 vote on Wednesday. The measure now goes to the House.

A proposed constitutional amendment being considered in Harrisburg would bring more clarity for when a politician charged with a crime must be forced out of office.

Democrat Josh Shapiro will become the 48th governor of Pennsylvania at Tuesday's inaugural ceremony at the state Capitol, taking the oath of office on a cold winter day in the nation's fifth-most populous state on the heels of his blowout win in November's election.

Youth from across the state and Allentown in particular are attending the gubernatorial inauguration on Tuesday.

Members of the governor-elect's transition team were required to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), so the public may never know how it progressed or who paid for it.

A rockslide shut down Route 611 north of Portland, Pa., in early December. Last week, PennDOT said the road isn't expected to reopen for another 7 months. On the heels of pandemic losses, many merchants said they don't know if they can withstand this hit.

A retrospective of Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf's years in office reveals the challenges he faced.