State & Regional News

There’s one major question as we approach the summer solstice in the Lehigh Valley – where’s the warmth?

The House budget recently passed on a party-line vote increased school maintenance funding to $350 million from $100 million proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro

Few, if any, bridges in Pennsylvania insulate the steel beams in their decks, PennDOT Deputy Secretary Mike Rebert said Wednesday. High-intensity fires capable of destabilizing those bridges are rare, but do happen.

Democrats in Pennsylvania are optimistic that Republicans will finally agree to raise the state's minimum wage after years of debate. A Republican member of the state Senate's leadership team is leading a bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, providing hope for a resolution, although challenges remain in the GOP-controlled state Senate.

The late William Jacob Heller founded The American Flag Manufacturing Co. in Easton in 1887, helping popularize the U.S. flag nationally. Heller is credited as being instrumental in having flags hung at schoolhouses throughout the nation.

Local experts say the Lehigh Valley is well prepared to knock down wildfires, but state data show those blazes are becoming much more common across Pennsylvania.

The Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors reported home sales dropped 22% in May — normally a busy season. Increased interest rates and tight inventory in Lehigh and Northampton counties were driving the figures, according to GLVR.

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, is the architect of a bill that would allocate $100 million of federal American Rescue Plan funding for mental health programs. It passed the House last week and is under state Senate consideration.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners in April voted to remove the mail-in application process for antlerless licenses, as well as move up the sale to the fourth Monday in June.

Moms for Liberty, a Florida-based nonprofit that didn't exist in 2020, has become a power player in conservative politics ahead of the 2024 elections, including in the Lehigh Valley.

An appellate court ruling could help shake loose details about how much money lawmakers spend on private lawyers.

The PACT Act makes it easier for veterans and their survivors to qualify for benefits if they served in the Middle East, Afghanistan or Vietnam. But to make the most of their benefits, they'll need to submit paperwork to the Department of Veterans Affairs by Aug. 9.

The third week of July is the warmest week of the year based on climatological norms, and the Lehigh Valley forecast fits that trend. Excessive heat headlines are likely, the weather service said.

The family of a 2-year-old girl swept away along with another child by a flash flood that engulfed their vehicle on a Pennsylvania road is expressing gratitude at the discovery of a body believed to be hers.

The PPL Foundation has provided half a million dollars to the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley to address homelessness and housing insecurity in the region.

Hot, summertime temperatures will expand across the U.S. and could bring the Lehigh Valley’s first official heat wave of the year, forecasters say.

A Democratic lawmaker is quitting the Pennsylvania House of Representatives amid a budget stalemate.

Federal safety investigators have determined that natural gas was leaking from a defective fitting at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory where a powerful explosion killed seven people.

The “Take Action” campaign is designed to highlight connections for trail users through education and providing resources to boost engagement and opportunities to get involved and support the trail.

The heavy rains wreaked havoc on the region, already saturated by a round of storms last weekend. And more rain is expected this week.

A freight train derailment in southeast Pennsylvania has spurred precautionary evacuations, but officials say no injuries were reported and there is no known hazard to the public.

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has been transported south and east and is moving into Pennsylvania.