State & Regional News

Here's all you need to know about the 2025 general election in the Lehigh Valley, where scores of local races are on the ballot — including county and municipal offices, plus school boards and Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention questions getting an unusual amount of attention.

Nancy Dischinat served as executive director of Workforce Board Lehigh Valley for the past 27 years, helping build an environment of skilled workers that created a sought-out business environment.

The partisan divide is still a reality when it comes to Pennsylvania's mail-in ballot system. Democrats accounted for nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvania's requests. More than 1 million people statewide requested a mail-in ballot, according to the state.

Lawmakers were told that while insurance companies must notify PennDOT when a policy is canceled, the new insurer is not required to report when coverage is reinstated.

Democrats Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht are each seeking a second 10-year term on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. While retention questions normally receive little attention, the potential to flip control of the high court has drawn massive political spending in the off-year election.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, has organized a food drive while pinning the ongoing government shutdown on Senate Democrats. SNAP benefits that help feed millions of low-income Americans are hours away from expiring.

Two federal judge have ruled that the Trump administration must continue to fund the SNAP food aid program using contingency funds during the government shutdown. The administration has said it can't fund SNAP with the government shuttered.

A group of demonstrators called on Congress Friday to permanently protect the Arctic from drilling, as well as drum up support from Lehigh Valley residents.

A wind advisory goes into effect at 10 a.m. Friday for much of eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey, as strong westerly winds sweep through the region.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has filed an emergency motion in Lehigh County Court requesting that a judge unseal documents in at least 22 criminal cases tied to an interstate drug ring. Among the defendants is Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi.

The total cost of the governor’s race in Pennsylvania topped $100 million in this last election cycle, a staggering amount that set a new spending record in the race to snag the state’s highest office.

Both parties seem to agree that Feb. 7 would be a good date for special elections, but neither party thinks the other has the right to set it. It’s a case of disagreeing to agree. Or something.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission approved 36 new honorees for 2022, including the Allentown State Hospital and the President Pumping Engine in Upper Saucon Township.

A public viewing for Assistant Chief Zachary Paris, 36, and firefighter Marvin Gruber, 59, both of New Tripoli, will be held on Saturday, December 17 at Northwestern Lehigh Middle School.

Volunteer firefighters Zachary Paris, 36, and Marvin Gruber, 59, died Wednesday in a house fire in West Penn Township, Schuylkill County.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro has announced the charges against 30 individuals and 21 businesses located in Lehigh, Lebanon and Philadelphia counties. They are accused of “title washing” and re-titling stolen vehicles.

Thursday's breeze in Lynn Township seemed to spread the sorrow of a close community losing two members whom, it seemed, nearly everyone not only knew but held in high regard.

The state's Independent Fiscal Office reported Thursday that workforce participation among Pennsylvanians under age 35 has declined much more than for older workers since the onset of the pandemic.

New Tripoli firefighters Marvin Gruber and Zachary Paris perished in a fatal fire in West Penn Township, Schuylkill County.

After 65 years, the Philadelphia Police Department has finally identified the victim in the city’s oldest unsolved homicide case as 4-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarelli, of West Philadelphia.