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Matt Rourke/AP PhotoNearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market. -
Kyle Green/AP/POOLMore than two years after the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, the former Northampton Community College and DeSales University student pleaded guilty in a deal to avoid the death penalty.
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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.
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A chemical spill of a latex product late Friday in Bristol Township released contaminants into a Delaware River tributary, according to OEM officials.
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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.
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Pennsylvania will again operate a water assistance program for low-income households behind in their water or wastewater bills, state officials announced last week.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A six-month investigation found the state’s “competency” review system is so broken it often extends incarceration, which can exacerbate mental health issues.
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Another social-media fueled challenge has spurred a rise in the theft of Kia and Hyundai vehicles in Pennsylvania, but has the trend caught on in the Lehigh Valley?
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Former state Sen. Pat Browne, one of Governor Josh Shapiro’s cabinet nominees, has officially become Secretary of Revenue. He represented the Lehigh Valley for nearly three decades.
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Workers at a Starbucks store at Northampton Crossings are the latest to join a strike timed to Pride month, alleging unfair labor practices and disputes with the company over LGBTQ+ displays in stores. While striking, workers say they were kicked off of Starbucks property, with police involved.
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Officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection issued a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for all of Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley.
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A tornado warning was issued in the Martins Creek area of Northampton County on Monday afternoon as severe storms moved through. On Tuesday, the National Weather Service confirmed a twister had reached the ground.
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Officials gathered at The Waterfront to highlight the Environmental Protection Agency’s $5 billion climate pollution reduction grants program.
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The region had been in drought and running a deficit in the rain column, but things changed in a big way on Monday for some parts of the Lehigh Valley. Now, more heavy rainfall is on the way.
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A Pennsylvania state court on Tuesday rejected the latest Republican effort to throw out the presidential battleground state's broad mail-in voting law.
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Prosecutors say they are seeking the death penalty against a man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death late last year.
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Storms today could bring damaging winds, large hail, flash flooding or even a tornado or two across the region. The Lehigh Valley is now under an enhanced risk for severe weather.
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A coalition with wealthy backers is pushing Pennsylvania lawmakers to use public dollars to create tuition vouchers so K-12 students can attend private schools. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration is in support of this idea.
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Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.
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In the wake of an antisemitic group spreading hateful flyers across the area, Rep. Susan Wild and the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley are making it clear that hate has no place in the Lehigh Valley.
