State & Regional News

Joe Kovacs, a Nazareth-area native and Bethlehem Catholic grad, is competing in his third Olympic Games as a member of Team USA. The shot put finals are Saturday afternoon.

A 12-mile northbound stretch of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed for about six hours, between the Quakertown and Lehigh Valley exits.

The merger of Lehigh Valley Health Network and Jefferson Health is now complete. The two closed the deal Thursday morning, creating a regional hospital system that oversees 30 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient care sites.

A new complaint form is available online for Pennsylvanians — or those traveling through the Commonwealth — encountering issues with airline travel, Attorney General Michelle Henry announced Wednesday.

As part of a series of grants amounting to $30 million, the Lehigh Valley will see nearly $740,000 in funding for "Green Light-Go" improvement projects in Lehigh and Northampton Counties.

Deli meat company Boar's Head has recalled 7 million more pounds of meats potentially affected by a listeria outbreak less than a week after the initial recall.

Over the past few days, Lehigh Valley residents have complained of bad smells wafting through Bethlehem and surrounding areas. Residents have described the most recent heavy odor as a rotting smell.

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to launch a battleground tour next week with her yet-to-be-named running mate, with stops in seven swing states stretching from Pennsylvania to Nevada.

Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a new law that will regulate pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. It's intended to save local pharmacies from closing and save patients money on prescription medications.

An estimated $450,000 is needed for the next step in the process of studying passenger rail. While Lehigh County officials say they will pay half, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said he thinks other local agencies should foot the bill.

Democrat Sarah Fevig may have spent a record amount for a single county commissioner candidate in her campaign. Meanwhile, Zach Cole-Borghi handily defeated his opponent despite the specter of criminal charges.

All three of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices who sought reelection Tuesday will get another term. The result shapes the makeup of the seven-member court through the next presidential election in 2028.

People came to the polls mindful of the state Supreme Court retention vote — and with a wide variety of issues on their minds, from the federal government shutdown to abortion policy and access to health care.

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.

Unofficial results show Democrat Josh Siegel defeated Republican Roger MacLean by nearly 20,000 votes in Tuesday's Lehigh County executive race.

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.