State & Regional News

The free exhibit, “America’s Beautiful,” at Lehigh Gap Nature Center runs from Aug. 21 to Aug. 29. It includes 50 watercolor paintings of Smokey Bear.

A flash flood warning is in effect for parts of Lehigh and Northampton counties until 11:30 p.m. It follows a line of severe thunderstorms and a flood watch that will be in effect until 2 a.m. Monday.

This year's Lehigh Valley Pride was the largest yet, expanding to fill a parking lot near First Street in Bethlehem for the first time. The threat of severe weather shut down the festival later in the afternoon.

The CDC has reported over 400 cases of salmonella across 31 states and the District of Columbia, including 60 cases in Pennsylvania.

The U.S. DOT's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration awarded more than $41 million Thursday, which provided funding toward Pipeline Emergency Response Grants. Bethlehem and Easton were on the receiving end of those grants.

The Historic Hotel Bethlehem has been voted as the USA Today's best historic hotel/resort in America for a record fourth consecutive year.

PennDOT contractors began moving in equipment onto Route 611 in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Wednesday to begin road construction. A rockslide in December 2022 shut down the road along the Monroe County-Northampton County border.

The Pen Argyl restaurant was brought into the limelight by Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy several months ago. Now it'll join Portnoy for his one-day One Bite Pizza Festival.

Gov. Josh Shapiro recently signed House Bill 829 and Senate Bill 688 into law. Both expand on the state's unusual and complex liquor laws, including an increase in happy hour and combo meal opportunities.

In the home stretch of summer, is the worst of the heat behind us? Here’s where things stand in the Lehigh Valley as we look ahead — and enter the peak of hurricane season.

Billions of dollars for Pennsylvania’s public schools and social services will soon start flowing after months of delay, as lawmakers on Wednesday approved a $50 billion spending plan to break the state’s budget impasse.

Space weather forecasters have issued an alert for incoming severe solar storms. Such storms could bring northern lights to many U.S. states and temporarily disrupt communications.

The historic 40-day federal shutdown could be coming to an end after eight members of the Democratic caucus broke ranks on a procedural vote Sunday.

Gov. Josh Shapiro says Pennsylvania's utility companies have stepped up to shelter low-income households this winter. The customers are usually covered by LIHEAP, but the federal assistance program has experienced delays due to the federal government shutdown.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, introduced the bill in 2023 after a student brought a knife to Schnecksville Elementary School. Parents didn't learn of the incident until a week later.

The speaker series, which runs on select Thursdays through March, focuses on engaging residents about the local environment, as well as conservation efforts.

As the federal government shutdown drags on into its second month, hundreds of flights Friday are being canceled at 40 airports across the country. Regional airports, such as LVIA, could be affected, too.

The hourlong program by PBS39 comes in the wake of the closure of a homeless encampment along Jordan Creek in Allentown and the scheduled shutdown of a separate one along the Lehigh River in Bethlehem.

Current conditions, along with the continued drying of fine fuels, "could support the rapid spread of any fires that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to control," the National Weather Service said.

With an unusually politicized Supreme Court retention question on the ballot Tuesday, Lehigh Valley voters overwhelmingly backed Democratic candidates.

Mackenzie, along with officials from Wildlands Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, on Wednesday morning hiked a portion of the property, lauding the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund that helped preserve it.

Following a wind advisory Wednesday night, forecasters say the Lehigh Valley will see a fairly active pattern continuing through the weekend and into early next week as temperatures tumble.