State & Regional News

Held June 7 in Bethlehem, the Lehigh Valley Environmental Advisory Council Network’s “Funding Municipal Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs,” focused on federal and state funding opportunities available to organizations across the region.

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.

Former space shuttle astronaut Terry Hart, of Lower Saucon Township, believes the psychological impact of spending more than a year in space on a mission to Mars is impossible to predict.

VALOR Clinic Foundation gifted a group of companion puppies to several deserving veterans at their facility grounds on Wednesday, one of many services the organization offers to those who have served.

Every cellphone, television and radio in the United States will broadcast a message simultaneously on Oct. 4 as a test of both the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).

The Executive Forum of the Lehigh Valley hosted a panel discussion Wednesday morning that explored the region's economic growth and challenges ahead, including workforce development, housing, warehouses and education.

Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton all have tracts designated as environmental justice areas. Here's what that means, and how residents can help shape state policy.

In its third year, and hosted by the state’s GreenGov Council and Penn State Sustainability, Commonwealth Sustainability Week features daily, free webinars focused on climate change and sustainability efforts statewide.

As temperatures climb back into the 80s this week, PennDOT will begin to host job fairs in Lehigh and Northampton counties to fill a variety of positions for the winter season.

Gov. Josh Shapiro may be the only person in Bedford, NH who doesn't think he'll run for president in 2028.

Gov. Josh Shapiro addressed about 500 people at the New Hampshire Democratic Primary convention in Bedford, N.H., on Saturday. He denied his trip was an effort to kick the tires on a presidential run in 2028.

Bob Stem is the winningest football coach for two high schools — Bethlehem Catholic and Phillipsburg, his alma mater. Stem, a teacher and coach for most of his life, died Friday at age 84.

The results of a 2019 survey, published last week, shows a majority of Pennsylvania's streams are contaminated with PFAS, also called "forever chemicals." Five streams were tested in the Valley.

The Diocese of Allentown's Catholic Charities is not accepting new immigration cases, but the nonprofit is working to "rebuild" its program, a spokesperson said.