State & Regional News

Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered Pennsylvania flags on all Commonwealth facilities, buildings, and grounds be lowered to half-staff to honor the victims of the RM Palmer Company factory explosion.

West Reading's police chief announced two additional fatalities on Sunday evening, ending the search for two missing individuals. The search and rescue operation followed a chocolate factory explosion Friday night.

Reporter Julian Abraham spent the weekend covering the explosion that occurred Friday at a chocolate factory in West Reading.

As part of a yearlong investigation, The Associated Press obtained the data points underpinning several algorithms deployed by child welfare agencies to understand how they predict which children could be at risk of harm.

A chemical spill of a latex product late Friday in Bristol Township released contaminants into a Delaware River tributary, according to OEM officials.

Three people died and four remain missing in the explosion at the R.M. Palmer Co. chocolate-making plant in West Reading. The grim announcement Saturday night came after a day of hope spurred by a victim found alive in the wreckage early in the day.

Pennsylvania will again operate a water assistance program for low-income households behind in their water or wastewater bills, state officials announced last week.

While the report indicates positive trends, community advocates and leaders raised concerns about high rates of gun violence and educational outcomes. They called for more hyper-localized data to identify trends and correlations between issues impacting Black communities.

Thursday's March For Our Lives rally marks its fifth anniversary since its inception after a 2018 mass shooting at a Florida high school. Hundreds are expected at Thursday's rally in Harrisburg, which coincides with rallies this week in Florida, Michigan, California and Texas.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said he's long admired the Lehigh Valley's unique ability to build partnerships. It's a skillset he said he hopes to bring to other communities across the state to promote economic growth. Shapiro was keynote speaker at the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. annual meeting in Bethlehem.

Monday's solar eclipse will not turn the skies in the Lehigh Valley pitch black, Moravian University astronomy professor Gary A. Becker said. Just a bit wonky. The ideal time in the Lehigh Valley to view the eclipse is 3:24 p.m.

The three GOP candidates for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District discussed cutting taxes, reducing regulations and passing a balanced budget amendment as ways to improve the U.S. economy. (Third of five parts)

Allen Jahmell Grimes, 18, of Bethlehem, is reportedly awaiting extradition at Rikers Island in New York City after being caught by U.S. Marshals over the weekend.

The National Weather Service issued the flood watch starting from 6 a.m. Wednesday through 6 p.m. Thursday as the region undergoes several days of rain.

If approved as written, “A municipal authority shall provide notice to utility customers if the municipal authority determines that the water usage has increased by 50% for one month above the average water usage for the property.”

Maria Montero, Kevin Dellicker and Ryan Mackenzie discuss isolationism, NATO and the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel. The three Republicans are vying for the GOP nomination in the 7th Congressional District to face incumbent U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley. (Second of five parts)

Township Manager Doug Bruce said the plans set forth in the Lehigh Valley Priority Climate Action Plan for Transportation Decarbonization will “set a precedent for other regions to follow.”

Kevin Dellicker, a Republican candidate for PA-7, said he could support federal legislation setting stricter restrictions on abortion. His opponents in the Republican primary, Ryan Mackenzie and Maria Montero, said the issue of abortion access should be left to the states. (First of five parts)

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry is alerting consumers of scammers selling sunglasses to view the eclipse on April 8 that do not protect one's eyes from potentially permanent damage.

In their first meeting since the passenger rail feasibility study was revealed, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission officials said it would take months for any further decisions to be made.

None of the circumstances the National Transportation Safety Board described in its report on the March 2 derailment would have triggered the automated positive train control system to stop the trains.

A divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold enforcement of the required date on return envelopes.