State & Regional News

Experts say this latest round of Canadian wildfire smoke in the Lehigh Valley will not be the last, and that millions should prepare for this new normal.

Monday was the first time in decades there were no pink envelopes for Pennsylvania hunters looking to buy antlerless licenses. Here's how the launch of online sales went.

High school seniors in Pennsylvania would be required to fill out a form that determines eligibility for financial aid for postsecondary programs under a bill passed by the state Senate.

Public school advocates worry vouchers will divert money from public education into charters or private schools.

Former state Sen. Pat Browne, one of Governor Josh Shapiro’s cabinet nominees, has officially become Secretary of Revenue. He represented the Lehigh Valley for nearly three decades.

Workers at a Starbucks store at Northampton Crossings are the latest to join a strike timed to Pride month, alleging unfair labor practices and disputes with the company over LGBTQ+ displays in stores. While striking, workers say they were kicked off of Starbucks property, with police involved.

Officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection issued a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for all of Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley.

A tornado warning was issued in the Martins Creek area of Northampton County on Monday afternoon as severe storms moved through. On Tuesday, the National Weather Service confirmed a twister had reached the ground.

Officials gathered at The Waterfront to highlight the Environmental Protection Agency’s $5 billion climate pollution reduction grants program.

A Pennsylvania state court on Tuesday rejected the latest Republican effort to throw out the presidential battleground state's broad mail-in voting law.

“We need to be focused on this November,” DePasquale said. “We’ve got to focus on winning this November for the governor, flipping the state Senate and expanding our House majority.”

New data released by the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors shows the region's median sales price climbed 8.7% year over year to $375,000, matching the highest median sales price ever recorded locally in July 2025.

A review of violations filed since June 5 found dozens of charges for the "prohibited use of interactive mobile device" across Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley has proposed bringing back an intangible asset tax. Supporters believe it could shift tax burdens away from working families while critics argue it would punish small business owners and invite lawsuits.

The settlement will reshape how costs are assigned in response to rapidly growing electricity demand from large users such as data centers.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie campaigned against forever wars in 2024 but has voted to give President Donald Trump leeway in the conflict against Iran.

While the Census Bureau’s Local Air Conditioning Estimates, or LACE, showed more than nine of 10 U.S. households have AC, there are areas where access is virtually nonexistent.

With Memorial Day behind them, lawmakers are heading toward summer recess amid questions about what, if anything, they will be able to accomplish before voters return their attention to the fall elections.

Pennsylvania lawmakers moved closer to establishing a statewide restriction on student cell phone use in public schools, as the state House passed legislation requiring "bell-to-bell" phone bans during the school day.

The study, released late last week by the Delaware River Basin Commission, detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in surface water, sediment, fish and blue crab tissue collected throughout the basin, including along the tidal Delaware River.

On this week's Lehigh Valley Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick break down the 2026 primary election results.

Electric customers across Pennsylvania will see higher supply rates beginning June 1, adding new pressure to household budgets just as air conditioning demand starts to climb.