State & Regional News

Glowing economic news in the Lehigh Valley was shared during the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation's 30th anniversary celebration at ArtsQuest on Tuesday.

This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell speaks with Celeste Dee, owner of Lehigh Valley-based Advantage Political Strategies. The two talk about judicial campaigns.

In his latest budget proposal, Governor Josh Shapiro wants to allocate nearly $500 million to chronically underfunded school districts — and that includes several districts in the Lehigh Valley. But lawmakers have concerns around the fairness of the funding distribution.

WWE was once a near-annual staple in Allentown and throughout the Lehigh Valley. But the company has not returned since a holiday tour stop in 2023.

Nonprofits catering to LGBTQ+ people in the Lehigh Valley are doing what they can to push back on recent executive actions, support their community and fight for their survival as organizations, their leaders say.

A police officer discharged his firearm in an armed confrontation with the victim, who shot himself during the encounter Saturday night in Wind Gap, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

A destructive storm system moving up the coast is expected to hit the Lehigh Valley on Sunday evening. The area likely won't see any severe weather today, but it is just bordering the potential to, graphics from the National Weather Service show.

Gerald C. Yob has been mayor of Freemansburg for 44 years. He served on borough council 12 years before that. Yob turns 96 in August, and plans on running for a 12th term as mayor.

PennDOT has plans to improve the pavement and add truck climbing lanes in both Lehigh and Northampton counties. But the future of a controversial interchange in Lehigh County has grown more clouded.

Bear Creek Mountain Resort near Macungie said it will end its 2024-25 ski season on Saturday, March 15, after being open 97 ski days — which it said was one of its longest ski seasons ever.

Federal health officials say 31 babies in 15 states have been sickened in a growing outbreak of infantile botulism tied to ByHeart infant formula. ByHeart recalled all of its products sold throughout the U.S. No deaths have been reported. Health officials say parents and caregivers who have the formula in their homes should stop using it immediately and dispose of the product. Botulism is a rare but serious disease that can cause paralysis and death. Symptoms can take weeks to develop. The most recent case was reported Nov. 11.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, voted in favor of it.

More than two dozen Allegiant Air pilots picketed outside Lehigh Valley International Airport on Tuesday as part of a group effort to demand the airline provide them with a better contract after nearly five years of negotiations.

The Chicago area was digging out last week after a band of lake-effect snow buried the Windy City, dropping up to a foot in some areas. Could the Lehigh Valley be far behind?

Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, did not sign the discharge petition that will force a vote on releasing the Epstein files on Tuesday. However, Mackenzie has said for months he would support the measure if it came to a vote.

There have been hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines triggered by BusPatrol's cameras in Allentown, along with growing backlash from local drivers who say the system is highly flawed.

A 4-H'er from Walnutport and his horse, Skipa Star Goer, placed first in the pleasure horse driving class during the show, held late last month in Harrisburg.

On this week's episode of Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick dissect the Democratic sweep in elections across the country and the Lehigh Valley last week.

The House passed a bill Wednesday night to end the nation's longest government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding lapse that saw federal workers go without multiple paychecks, travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families.

The U.S. Mint has ended production of the penny, a change made to save money and in recognition of the growing irrelevance of the 1-cent coin. The last pennies were struck Wednesday at the mint in Philadelphia, where the country’s smallest denomination coins have been produced since 1793.

Billions of dollars for Pennsylvania’s public schools and social services will soon start flowing after months of delay, as lawmakers on Wednesday approved a $50 billion spending plan to break the state’s budget impasse.

Space weather forecasters have issued an alert for incoming severe solar storms. Such storms could bring northern lights to many U.S. states and temporarily disrupt communications.