State & Regional News

This week, a preview of confirmation hearings scheduled for Wednesday to confirm a new head for NASA. The nominee is well known to the Lehigh Valley.

PennDOT officials say complaints about roadside trash peak in early spring when snow melts, revealing months of litter build-up. State officials estimate there are 500 million pieces of rubbish on Pennsylvania roads — about a third of which are cigarette butts.

Lehigh Valley Public Media comprises LehighValleyNews.com, PBS39 and 91.3 WLVR. Debates to be held in advance of the May 20 primary election include Allentown mayor, Bethlehem mayor, Northampton County executive and Lehigh County executive.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport knew a former police officer was the subject of an internal investigation at his former job but hired him anyway, according to details released this week by Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is looking into the matter.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Pennsylvania rose about 14 cents this week, from $3.261 to $3.405.

Northampton County officials on Thursday announced $100,000 in grants to a handful of food banks and homeless shelters. The grants are a response to cuts to federal food aid programs, County Executive Lamont McClure said.

Mack Trucks will display a 100-year-old Mack AB model tractor manufactured in Allentown at the 125th New York International Auto Show April 18-27.

'A Community Conversation: The Road Ahead' will feature several guests discussing Lehigh Valley traffic and transportation issues. It will start at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at the Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last week launched the Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction grant program. Aimed at schools and childcare facilities, the program is focused on testing for, and remediating, lead in drinking water.

Lehigh Valley business experts said it's too soon to determine how President Donald Trump's across-the-board tariffs of 10% or more will affect the economy but acknowledged that stakes are high.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is focusing specifically on child and adolescent mental health, Levine said.

The U.S. assistant secretary for health, who will speak at Texas Christian University, says physicians need to be more vocal in fighting politically motivated attacks on vulnerable trans youth.

It comes as the Lehigh County DA plans to station detectives at mail-in ballot drop boxes.

Construction should begin next year, with a planned opening of mid-2024.

Frontrunners Dr. Mehmet Oz and David McCormick did not attend the forum at Dickinson College.

Christina Warren collects T-shirts, mugs and other items from companies that promised huge changes, but failed to deliver — often in spectacular ways.

The local nonprofit group was among 7 organizations statewide to receive a share of $89,000 in grants.

The war in Ukraine, abortion and strengthening democratic institutions were among the topics.

The tests measure what a child knows on one day and there is no growth measure, Michael Faccinetto said.

Observers are expecting legal challenges to Pa.'s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Leading in the polls, Fetterman was grilled about a 2013 incident in which he confronted a Black man with a shotgun.

Smoking weed in public or bringing cannabis across state lines remains illegal in Pennsylvania.