State & Regional News

The Walking Purchase, a 1737 land grab perpetrated by William Penn's sons, shaped the Lehigh Valley as residents know it today. But, the land wasn’t actually purchased, as the name might suggest — it was swindled from the Lenni-Lenape.

More than 130 people attended the panel, which focused on efforts across the state to tamp down on light pollution, not only to benefit star-gazers, but for fireflies and migrating birds, too.

Lehigh Valley Political Pulse host Tom Shortell wants to hear from you. Readers are encouraged to submit questions through the link in the article. They may be addressed on a future episode of the program.

As the system moves off the Carolina coast and begins to strengthen and lift northward, impacts farther inland — particularly in the Lehigh Valley — are not expected to be overly hazardous.

PennDOT has decided to convert a normally empty parking lot off William Penn Highway into 30 or more truck parking spots. While warehouses have boomed across the Lehigh Valley, truck parking has failed to keep up.

Political scientist Chris Borick joined Tom Shortell again this week to try to make sense of the government shutdown and what it all means.

Senate Democrats have refused to fund the federal government unless Republicans agree to extend tax subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. U.S. Ryan Mackenzie supports the tax subsidies but echoed Republican demands that no deal can be struck until the federal government is funded.

A reinforcing cold front has triggered a freeze watch in the Lehigh Valley from Thursday evening through Friday morning, bringing our coldest overnight temperatures since mid-April.

State environmental officials are calling on residents to nominate their favorite waterway to be 2026 River of the Year. The effort aims to elevate public awareness of specific rivers and recognize important conservation needs and achievements.

The filings, which occurred over the past few days in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey, are individual filings of LLCs, including the location that was based at the Lehigh Valley Mall Lifestyle Center.

How a Florida community college is testing out new tools to boost learning and graduation rates. The key: getting professors access to real-time data on student engagement and performance.

Iowa's population is changing, with the number of Latinos growing fast. Activists are working to get them more engaged in the presidential caucuses, which could impact the state's politics long after.

For the first time since World War II, Japan's military can fight beyond its borders. The move sparked weeks of protests even though the likelihood of involvement in a foreign war appears quite small.

United Nations member states pledged Friday to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030. That's defined as surviving on $1.25 per person per day. What is life really like on that amount?

Several GOP presidential candidates are speaking at the Values Voter Summit, where Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses, will be honored.

House Speaker John Boehner delivered remarks to the press Friday on his decision to resign, and President Obama offered comments on the resignation, as well.

During his trip to New York City, Pope Francis visited the Sept. 11 memorial on Friday, also taking part in an interfaith service with other religious leaders. He is visiting with families of the terror attacks' victims, as well.

House Speaker John Boehner will resign his leadership position at October's end; he also plans to resign his seat in the House. What does this mean for Congress, as a possible federal shutdown looms?

Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Obama agreed on at least one thing this week: They need to coordinate action to lower greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change.

The reasons behind the bus shutdown aren't clear, but the results have been tragic: nine drivers assassinated and a city in turmoil.

Teleporting from one place to the next looks so fun on the big and little screen. But physicists who actually can do something like that with single atoms say teleporting people would be much messier.

The dispute between two Native American tribes comes down to historical claims on a casino's proposed site — and also business.