-
Hayden Mitman/LehighValleyNews.comLehigh County prosecutors tried to avoid the standard procedures for criminal court by bypassing defendants' preliminary hearings. Instead, Lehigh County Judge Thomas Caffrey ruled the cases should proceed Friday morning as scheduled. -
Evan Vucci/AP/APIn this week's episode, Political Pulse host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick talk about current events shaping political opinions in unexpected ways. Borick said it marks a "wild start" to 2026 and could set the stage for the rest of the year.
Listen on 93.1 WLVR and at LehighValleyNews.com
More Headlines
-
Lower Saucon Township Council voted 4-1 on Wednesday, approving a reporting system on the township website and a letter of concern to be sent to Northampton County officials. -
LehighValleyNews.com tonight will livestream a special program from the Univest Public Media Studio in Bethlehem. 'Beyond the Ballot' will analyze the Nov. 7 general election and look ahead to the 2024 presidential and congressional elections.
-
WLVR's Megan Frank talks with reporters Phil Gianficaro and Tom Shortell.
-
Democrat Thomas Johns won a seat on the South Whitehall Board of Commissioners over the incumbents' preferred candidate, Republican Chris Peischl.
-
Most unofficial election results remain the same in Northampton County, but one school board race has shifted after nearly all emergency ballots were counted Thursday.
-
A state representative is demanding Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure resign over the voting machine issues discovered on Election Day. Said McClure: 'I have absolutely no plan to resign.'
-
An error with the Northampton County voting machines led to thousands of voters across the region casting their ballot with emergency paper ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.
-
The Lehigh Valley saw voter turnout top 30% in Tuesday's municipal election, more than 10 points higher than local races saw a decade ago.
-
The township appears to have voted all Democrats into three open seats on its council. Come 2026, the board will likely start adhering to term limits following unofficial results from a ballot question.
-
With a contentious presidential election on the horizon, Northampton County officials are working with their voting machine contractor to prevent errors like those in Tuesday's general election.
-
Garrity, a Bradford County native, is the first Republican to formally challenge Democratic incumbent Josh Shapiro in the 2026 race.
-
Easton City Council opted to remove a Welcoming City ordinance from its Wednesday agenda, leading to a debate among council and the public as to the need for and intent of the legislation.
-
U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, downplayed President Donald Trump's proposal to slash $32.9 billion from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development following a tour of the Allentown Rescue Mission.
-
The Lehigh Valley's congressional showdown already is shaping up to be among the nation's costliest races for 2026. Tom Shortell and Chris Borick break it all down in this week's Political Pulse.
-
More than a month past the budget deadline, Lehigh Valley state Sens. Jarrett Coleman and Nick Miller offered little optimism a deal was around the corner.
-
U.S. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie and Lisa McClain praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for helping manufacturing companies and workers during a tour of Ampal Inc. in Lower Towamensing Township.
-
Between delayed state funding and federal cuts, Second Harvest Food Bank does not have enough food to meet demand, its leaders say.
-
Lehigh Country Controller Mark Pinsley criticized President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie for gutting the social safety net and Democratic leaders for failing to offer effective resistance.
-
Mark Pinsley is the fourth Democrat to challenge Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie in the Lehigh Valley's battleground district in the 2026 midterm.
-
Ed Zucal lost the Democratic primary by more than 60 percentage points but earned almost 500 write-in votes from Allentown Republicans to carry the contest into November.
-
This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick discuss how President Trump is attempting to redefine citizenship, including challenges to century-old legal findings.
-
The slashing of federal funding coupled with the state's budget impasse has set back Second Harvest Food Bank and the families in need it serves across the counties of Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe, Wayne, Pike and Carbon, organizers say.
