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.

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis joined local legislators at the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown on Friday to talk about the BOOST Program that will fund after-school programs across Pennsylvania. State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, developed it.

Popular deli meat company Boar's Head has issued a recall for their liverwurst and other deli meats due to a listeria outbreak which has shown at least one reported case in Pennsylvania.

PennDOT plans to build a bridge that would bring Route 309 over Center Valley Parkway and West Saucon Valley Road. The department is currently seeking public comment.

Bethlehem joins 25 other places in the United States as a World Heritage Site — an effort that has been decades in the making and, advocates hope, bolsters historic preservation and tourism in the Lehigh Valley.

Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton have teamed up with Lehigh Valley Health Network to make the Lehigh Valley a Blue Zone. The initiative was launched this week and will take the next few years to earn the certification.

A vote in favor would put Historic Moravian Bethlehem among 25 other sites nationally and 1,199 around the world, including the Statue of Liberty, the Great Wall of China, the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef.

A release from PPL said scams are up 250% over 2023. Customers are urged to report scams to 1-800-342-5775.

President Joe Biden said he would use his remaining time in office to pursue Supreme Court reforms, among other goals.

The head of the Pennsylvania State Police said two local law enforcement officers stationed in the complex of buildings where the gunman opened fire at former President Donald Trump left to go search for the man before the shooting. State police testified before a congressional hearing Tuesday.

The city was awarded the grant through the WalkWorks program. Officials now have $35,000 and a year to create an Active Transportation Plan aimed at bolstering connectivity across the city.

Gov. Josh Shapiro is believed to be on the short list of vice-presidential candidates that presumed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is considering.

As support coalesces around Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party's nominee for president, the conversation has turned to a potential running mate. Among the leading contenders is Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.