State & Regional News

Dave McCormick, the GOP candidate for Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate seat, and U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst, Roger Marshall and Todd Young urged local voters to cast early ballots for the Republican ticket ahead of Election Day during a Bethlehem Township rally Saturday.

The forms arrived at the Lancaster County elections office shortly before Monday's deadline to register to vote and were apparently part of a larger effort to sign people up, officials said

The Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate met with voters at El Tipico Restaurant in Allentown. It's his second visit to the region in five weeks and comes just 11 days before Election Day.

PennEnvironment's 2024 “Renewables on the Rise” report ranks every state for the production of wind energy, solar power, energy storage and other metrics over the last decade, tracking growth.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump will rally supporters Tuesday at the PPL Center in Allentown. It's his second campaign visit to the Lehigh Valley this year.

The deadline is right around the corner to nominate a veteran for one of the American Red Cross Lehigh Valley Heroes awards. The American Red Cross will once again pay tribute to those who served our country and the community.

Pennsylvania’s highest court has ruled people whose mail ballots are rejected for not following technical procedures in state law can cast provisional ballots. The decision is sure to affect some of the thousands of mail-in votes experts say are likely to be rejected this fall for not following all of the mail-in voting procedures required.

Another visit from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is in order for the Lehigh Valley. The Democratic vice presidential candidate will make his second trip to the area this Friday in Allentown.

Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne testified on the floor of the state senate that some protected tax information about the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone could not be disclosed even to state lawmakers or publicized as otherwise required by state law.

The Bethlehem Area School District is getting $2 million in federal rebates to buy 10 more electric school buses. Officials expect the buses to be in service next school year.

The tax and spending plan drew praise from Republicans for lowering taxes and funding border security, but Democrats condemned it for slashing Medicaid coverage and raising the deficit.

As tariff talk raises concerns over the impact on the fireworks industry in America, retailers and production companies report this year is going well, but the future may not be so bright.

Nearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market.

More than two years after the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, the former Northampton Community College and DeSales University student pleaded guilty in a deal to avoid the death penalty.

The city is the third major city in the Lehigh Valley to become certified through Bird Town Pennsylvania, an annual designation focused on community-based conservation.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.

President Donald Trump campaigned on immigration enforcement and recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have gained national and local attention. This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick look into the public's reaction to these raids.

After Monday brought rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rain, more severe weather is expected to target the region on Tuesday, forecasters say.

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

Multiple media outlets report Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty. A change of plea hearing is set for Wednesday. Kohberger’s trial had been set to begin in August

The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.