State & Regional News

Households that qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program can receive up to $30 off monthly internet bills, as well as $100 toward buying a laptop.

Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls will increase 5% starting January 8th. Turnpike tolls have increased each year since 2008.

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania’s state House are scheduled to elect a new speaker Tuesday.

The Pennsylvania State Police investigated hundreds of crashes over the Christmas holiday weekend, with a rise in crashes, fatal crashes and the number of people killed. One fatality occurred during an alcohol-related crash in Lower Macungie Township.

The new Congress, including Rep. Susan Wild and Senator-elect John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, will be sworn into office at noon on Jan. 3, 2023.

The World Health organization is changing the name of monkeypox. The current name is thought to be both racist and stigmatizing.

Jarrett Coleman initially planned to stay on as a Parkland School Board member while simultaneously serving in the state Senate. He changed course last month. Good government advocates say such an arrangement creates the potential for conflicts of interest.

Elected leaders will jockey for control of the House for at least a few more weeks.

Need continues to grow for emergency food services. With the end of pandemic-era benefits and inflation still not letting up, demand is higher than ever, according to food pantry managers.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will host guided hikes in state parks and forests on Jan. 1. Lehigh Valley hikers may want to head to Jacobsburg State Park for a walk through Henry's Woods.

According to experts, the only way to view the total eclipse on April 8, 2024, is to be inside the 120 mile-wide path of totality. Outside of it, you won't have nearly the same experience.

Crews worked Saturday to repair a sinkhole that opened in the westbound lanes of Route 22 in Northampton County. The 9-feet-deep sinkhole was partially in the right lane and highway shoulder, according to a PennDOT spokesman.

Spring wildfire season runs from March through May across the commonwealth. State officials are urging residents to do their part to prevent wildfires.

The Lehigh Valley ranked first in the nation in economic development projects in 2023 than any similarly sized market, according to Site Selection magazine. The region also ranked fourth in all communities in the Northeast.

About a million Pennsylvanians have medical debt, but a proposal in the Gov. Josh Shapiro's 2024-25 budget could help alleviate those debts. State Rep. Josh Siegel, who represents parts of Allentown and Salisbury Township, is an advocate for the proposal.

COMMENTARY: The one constant in Harrisburg no matter the dominant political party is a reflexive inclination to shield information from the public. This week is Sunshine Week.

Saquon Barkley, the former Penn State star and 2015 graduate of Whitehall High School, reached agreement with the Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million contract, according to ESPN reporter Adam Schefter.

Penn State University and Moravian University have gone the digital route. Lehigh University is considering such a move, officials say.

Dozens of students from across Pennsylvania will descend on Saucon Valley Middle School’s gymnasium for FIRST Tech Challenge’s robotics state championship, including two teams from the Lehigh Valley.

Pennsylvania’s maple sugaring season is well underway. At the Monroe County Conservation District’s Singing Hemlock Sugar Shack, educators guided visitors through the history of maple syrup production.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey got a mention during President Biden's State of the Union address but U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, did not. Politics reporter Tom Shortell provides a post-mortem on the SOTU.

E-pollbooks make election day operations much easier for poll workers and speed up key processes. But like most election technology, they are potentially vulnerable to hacking if officials do not have safeguards in place.