State & Regional News

Black Friday is almost upon us, when retailers kick off the holiday season with offers meant to get customers in the shopping mood. A number of stores that were closed on Thanksgiving, including Walmart and Target, reopen early Friday as the holiday shopping season begins in earnest.

In an effort to ensure drivers in the Lehigh Valley abide by speed limits and remain mindful of not being distracted, Pennsylvania State Police plan to step up enforcement from Wednesday through Sunday in this Thanksgiving holiday period.

A federal court has directed Pennsylvania counties to accept mail ballots that a voter has failed to date or misdated, a long-awaited decision that could affect thousands of ballots in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

The Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence is open to any commonwealth business, farm, government agency, educational institution or nonprofit organization that has developed or participated in a project that promotes environmental protection and stewardship. Applications are due by Jan. 3.

When state officials announced a series of in-person and virtual meetings there were no in-person meetings slated for the Lehigh Valley, even though the region is the third largest metropolitan area in the commonwealth. A meeting in Allentown has been added to the schedule.

A significant storm is set to soak the region this week, and it will come during the peak travel days ahead of Thanksgiving. Some areas could even see wintry precipitation.

Pennsylvania saw a nearly 50% increase in Hispanic-owned businesses between 2012 and 2019, according to Census data. Non-Hispanic businesses increased by 9.3%, which means Latinos are creating businesses at a higher rate than their non-Hispanic peers.

While the goal is to transition communities to clean energy while creating jobs, there are still many unknowns about the projects. Even though there are two hubs slated for Pennsylvania, it could be a while before the Lehigh Valley’s residents begin to feel any impacts.

First introduced by state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh Valley, in 2015 and approved by the Senate in July, the bill would increase the fine and direct any monies collected towards bald and golden eagle conservation efforts across the commonwealth.

"We were building the plane while we were flying it,” said one consultant.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, hosted a roundtable discussion on the child care crisis at Bethlehem YMCA on Tuesday.

PennEnvironment on Monday released a new report, “Lawn Care Goes Electric," ranking emissions from gas-powered lawn and garden equipment by state and county across the U.S. Here's where Lehigh and Northampton counties ranked.

The U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index was launched on Oct. 2 through a partnership between the Environmental Defense Fund and Texas A&M University. Here's where the Lehigh Valley ranks.

Lehigh County introduced new wide-ranging non-discrimination legislation for housing, education, health care and public accommodations establishing new protected classes not included in state law such as sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, age, weight, citizenship status and marital status. Legislators appeared supportive but indicated there would be likely amendments before passage

Pennsylvania is the biggest commercial producer of mushrooms in the United States. Foraging groups are popping up to find the fungus in the wild, while small farms are focusing on growing unique mushrooms.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with reporters Molly Bilinski and Stephanie Sigafoos.

The commonwealth’s fifth fall foliage report was released Thursday. Here's the forecast for the coming week in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Traffic paces are crucial for the safety of motorists and workers during bridge beam construction over Indian Creek Road on I-476, milepost A52.3 in Lehigh County.

Sen. Lisa Boscola, a Democrat whose 18th District covers parts of Lehigh and Northampton counties, said policies like this draw heated, vocal support on both sides of the issue.

The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office on Monday announced the recovery of more than $115,000 to a Salisbury Township man who was scammed during an online real estate transaction earlier this year.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild has banked more than $1.1 million toward her re-election effort. Meanwhile, three Republicans raised over $302,000 toward their campaigns in the last three months.

The settlement includes a controversial confidentiality clause, criticized for discouraging reporting. The complainant, who remains anonymous, alleges Vereb made inappropriate comments during her brief tenure.