State & Regional News

The SBA is offering low-interest disaster loans to both renters and business owners, while the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has helped facilitate grant programs for renters.

PBS39 broadcast a special, hourlong community forum on "housing gridlock," in which record-high prices, a 9,000-unit deficit and high interest rates have frozen the market for the workforce and first-time buyers.

The episode examines how a partial funding standoff in Washington is contributing to delays at airport security checkpoints, with TSA staffing strained as the Department of Homeland Security remains caught in a broader political fight.

Without enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, Lehigh Valley residents have seen their Pennie premiums climb more than $300 a month on average.

Easton Fire Chief Henry Hennings said the Hotel Hampton blaze exposed critical staffing shortages, delayed response challenges and growing risks in high-occupancy buildings.

Explore how the cost of living has changed in the Lehigh Valley, with data on groceries, energy, housing and transportation over the past decade.

With primary petitions now filed, the Lehigh Valley’s election season is coming into clearer focus, with several races likely to be more competitive than they first appear.

Jessica Ortiz and Paulette Hunter filed an objection to the petition state Rep. Ana Tiburcio's campaign submitted last week in her bid for a full term representing Pennsylvania's 22nd House District.

The full story, to publish Wednesday, will explore why newly available apartments are attracting large numbers of applicants and what that reveals about the balance between housing supply and demand.

PPL Electric said it expects electric demand on its system could triple over the next decade. That growth is being driven largely by expansion of advanced manufacturing, new data centers and other large industrial electricity users.

The changes could cost another $120 million a year but significantly reduce health risks, supporters say.

Lehigh County officials are not yet sure how much or when the Lehigh Valley will see infrastructure funding.

Scientists say the world has less than a decade to take steps to avoid catastrophic global warming.

Officials urge hunters to get vaccinated.

Voter ID and earlier deadlines to register and apply for a mail-in ballot are being considered.

Concerns also were raised about election officials nationwide leaving jobs amid threats.

Some Republican state lawmakers are pushing to overhaul how appointments to an air quality advisory board are made in response to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's attempt to join a regional cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions.

U.S. Rep Scott Perry (R-Cumberland/Dauphin/York), who is under Congressional scrutiny for his role in a plot to subvert 2020 election results in some states, is set to lead the House Freedom Caucus starting in January.

Clearfield County’s path to establish the largest immigrant detention center in the commonwealth is unencumbered pending the dismissal of a lawsuit against the county for violating the state's open meeting laws.

Children’s enrollment in Medicaid increased by 14% statewide during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released in November 2021. All 67 counties saw increases in children’s enrollment, according to the report, from Harrisburg-based advocacy group Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.

More than half of the $18B coming to the state will go toward fixing roads and bridges.

Survivors of and advocates against human trafficking gathered in the Bethlehem Rose Garden on Nov. 9, 2021 for a candlelight vigil to raise awareness.