State & Regional News

Owowcow Creamery announced it secured two brag-worthy titles: third-best ice cream shop in the U.S. and first place on the East Coast. The creamery has two locations in the Lehigh Valley.

With first lady Jill Biden set to visit the region Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police are warning of traffic delays in the Allentown and surrounding areas.

Zero tolerance on fireworks: “If we just kind of let people light things off, someone's going to get hurt or killed," Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott said.

The National Weather Service's storm prediction center shows the Lehigh Valley falling in line with forecasts of high winds, potential hail and some severe thunderstorms Sunday evening.

About 120 workers at the distribution center in Palmer Township are represented by the United Auto Workers union. Leaders say the proposed deal increases wages 33% over the next five years.

A review of hundreds of decisions made by a powerful state oversight board sheds light on how Pennsylvania counties will be allowed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars from opioid settlements.

About three dozen Republicans jeered President Joe Biden throughout Thursday's night presidential debate while Democrats fumed that Trump was ignoring questions on child care and climate change.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off Thursday night in what will be the earliest televised presidential debate in American history. Given the two men's deep unpopularity and established public records, it will be difficult for either to move the needle in what's shaping up to be a close campaign.

The Libre Initiative, a conservative national organization, was founded more than 10 years ago but kicked off its Pennsylvania efforts a few months ago.

Lafayette College was selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates to host the nation's only vice presidential debate this year. The commission has called off that debate and three presidential ones that it had expected to organize.

Executive Education Academy Charter has been waiting to appeal its application denial since 2021. Gov. Josh Shapiro's nominees were just confirmed by the State Senate earlier this month.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s gift ban says he can’t take tickets from groups with “financial relations with the Commonwealth.” Team Pennsylvania was awarded $1.8 million in state contracts this year.

The most popular names have been a constant the past few years, according to the major health networks. But one trend that emerged in 2023 in the Lehigh Valley seems to be tied to sports — specifically, the success and popularity of the Philadelphia Phillies. Taylor Swift also may be having an impact.

The Pennsylvania Department of State is starting a new office to help train county election workers, Pa. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. It also plans to update its guidance for logic and accuracy testing that could have caught issues with the Northampton County voting machines.

Lafayette College will host the 2024 vice presidential debate this coming September, drawing the world's eyes to its Easton campus. Nicole Hurd, the college's president, hopes it will be an opportunity to highlight the liberal arts school and the greater Easton community.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg passed nearly three dozen laws last week in a final burst of action as they held their last voting session of the year.

Nippon Steel is set to pay more than $14 billion to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel in a deal that Rep. Susan Wild said is “really kind of heartbreaking."

Pennsylvania's gas tax– the highest in the nation in 2023 – will drop from $0.611/gallon to $0.576/gallon and will remain in place through 2024.

It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.

Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott said these types of incentives will help to attract “the best and brightest” candidates to serve the city.

More than three dozen projects in the Valley were awarded grants, receiving about 7% of the total funding awarded. Statewide, $335 million in grants were announced Wednesday.

Driven by $8.1 billion in manufacturing, the Lehigh Valley's Gross Domestic Product grew to a record $50.2 billion in 2022. The region's economy now ranks above Vermont and Wyoming.