State & Regional News

Allentown City Council unanimously voted last week to add Juneteenth — celebrated on June 19 — to the city's list of paid holidays for full-time non-bargaining employees.

Rachelle Carmenucci had Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter visit her Pittsburgh home in 1979. After being thrust into the media spotlight, the Carters flew her to the White House for lunch.

While the snow took a few hours to start piling up, by mid-afternoon it was falling at rates of two inches per hour in some parts of the Lehigh Valley. Dangerous cold will follow the snow, forecasters say.

Lehigh Valley Health Network and the Easton Area Community Center’s St. Anthony’s Youth Center received state grants to support violence prevention and out-of-school programs. The $1.1 million in funding will enhance community efforts to reduce violence and grow youth development initiatives.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering the eastern hellbender for protections under the federal Endangered Species Act. Find out why habitat loss and the pet trade are contributing to population declines.

If predictions stay true, the Lehigh Valley would be on the higher end of the 4- to 7-inch range of snowfall. PennDOT and the PA Turnpike Commission have set vehicle and road restrictions.

Shapiro highlighted his administration's historic investments in K-12 public education in the last two years before his budget address in the first week of February.

Depending on how the system evolves, a robust and plowable storm seems like the more likely scenario for the region, with the timing on potential snowfall beginning to lock in for Sunday afternoon.

The "African Americans in Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley" traveling display is in the rotunda of the Northampton County Courthouse. It shares foundational stories of the Lehigh Valley through an African American lens.

Infinera has secured a CHIPS and Science Act contract to construct a state-of-the-art semiconductor facility in South Bethlehem. The 2022 law intends to bolster domestic production of essential technology.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman said the volume of errors makes him uncomfortable with BusPatrol cameras on school buses without changes to how the system operates.

Mark Pinsley has launched his third bid for state Senate and will abandon his efforts to become the Lehigh Valley's next congressman.

In December alone, there were 676 eviction filings and defaults in Lehigh County — the highest monthly total since August 2023.

Lehigh County Democrats confirmed that Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley is circulating petitions for both Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District and Pennsylvania's 16th state Senate District.

The seven Democrats running for the Lehigh Valley's congressional district agreed on virtually every issue during a candidate's forum in Allentown on Monday evening. Instead of policy, candidates tried to differentiate themselves through their records and credentials.

Voters are increasingly breaking with the Republican and Democratic parties. One national poll found a record 45% of Americans consider themselves politically independent.

The forum is set to start at 6 p.m. Monday at Resurrected Life Church in Center City Allentown.

Democratic voters in Pennsylvania's 16th and 18th Senate districts may have contested races this spring. Meanwhile, Republican Zach Mako is seeking re-election in Pennsylvania's 183rd House District.

Joining host Tom Shortell on this week's Political Pulse, Ryan Crosswell said his campaign is focused on two priorities: lowering costs for families and defending democratic institutions.

The early LIHEAP crisis numbers already represent a notable share of last winter’s total in the Lehigh Valley, according to data provided by the Department of Human Services.

An extreme cold warning, combined with a wind advisory also in effect, could mean wind chills as low as 20 degrees below zero for the region this weekend.

Lawmakers voted 46-1 on Senate Bill 1014, bipartisan legislation that would require public schools to adopt "bell-to-bell" policies restricting student use of smartphones and other internet-connected devices throughout the entire school day.