State & Regional News

The Annual Pennsylvania Wild Turkey Sighting Survey, which began Tuesday, aims to track population trends across the state for a bird that once almost went extinct in the U.S.

The quaint shop on North New Street sells stones from South America, Mexico and the Middle East, as well as locally themed artwork.

There are 51 stops on this year’s trail. In its eighth year, the trail is focused on celebrating local creameries across the state while driving business during the summer months.

Legislators worked to establish penalties for xylazine use and trafficking in an attempt to lessen its presence in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. Some say doing so made way for a new, unclassified veterinary tranquilizer to take its place — medetomidine.

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.

“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.