State & Regional News

The World Health organization is changing the name of monkeypox. The current name is thought to be both racist and stigmatizing.

Jarrett Coleman initially planned to stay on as a Parkland School Board member while simultaneously serving in the state Senate. He changed course last month. Good government advocates say such an arrangement creates the potential for conflicts of interest.

Elected leaders will jockey for control of the House for at least a few more weeks.

Need continues to grow for emergency food services. With the end of pandemic-era benefits and inflation still not letting up, demand is higher than ever, according to food pantry managers.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will host guided hikes in state parks and forests on Jan. 1. Lehigh Valley hikers may want to head to Jacobsburg State Park for a walk through Henry's Woods.

Bryan Kohberger plans to waive an extradition hearing in Monroe County Court so he can be quickly brought to Idaho to face murder charges, his defense attorney said Saturday.

Pat Browne, Lehigh County's former state senator, created legislation that generated over $1 billion for the Lehigh Valley over 28 years in Harrisburg.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the shy German theologian who tried to reawaken Christianity in a secularized Europe but will forever be remembered as the first pontiff in 600 years to resign from the job, died Saturday. He was 95.

Police said they have yet to locate a murder weapon. But they indicated the arrest of Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, in the Poconos early Friday was a breakthrough. “What I can tell you is we have an individual in custody who committed these horrible crimes and I do believe our community is safe,” Police Chief James Fry said.

The child died Tuesday after he was shot in the basement of an Allentown home. Authorities said his 10-year-old brother accidentally fired a handgun the boys found.

Onanyeli Rosario-Mesa, 25, of Allentown, has been charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, homicide by vehicle and related offenses in connection with a wrong-way crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

On this week’s episode of Lehigh Valley Political Pulse, Muhlenberg College political scientist Chris Borick said the SAVE America Act faces an uphill battle.

Lehigh Valley firefighters warn staffing shortages are worsening as call volumes rise, leaving departments below national standards and increasing risks for crews and residents.

More than 150 people turned out to Cedar Crest College to hear Bob Brooks, Ryan Crosswell, Lamont McClure and Carol-Obando Derstine square off at a debate organized by the Lehigh County Democratic Committee.

Bob Brooks, a candidate in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, is due in Northampton County Court this month over a $162,000 debt owed to his former mother-in-law.

Rising gas prices are quickly becoming a political problem as the U.S. heads toward the 2026 midterms.

Former Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana listed her job as "self-employed" on a candidate form. The lack of detail about her occupation violated state law and was grounds to remove her from the Democratic primary, Commonwealth Court Judge Anne Covey ruled.

Bob Brooks, Ryan Crosswell, Lamont McClure and Carol Obando-Derstine recorded their first debate Wednesday for WFMZ's Business Matters program. They are vying to earn the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, one of the country's most contested battlegrounds.

A lawsuit filed this week alleges Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom and its parent company failed to protect a minor from a park employee who later pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting her.

A federal judge has agreed to permanently block the Trump administration from implementing a presidential directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.

Pennsylvania has struggled for years with a disproportionately high number of fatal fires. It leads the nation again in civilian deaths so far this year, with a 23% jump over the weekend.

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.