State & Regional News

The center was the target of attacks on drag shows

A train derailment and resulting large fire have prompted an evacuation order in an Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium and thorium in soil and rocks.

Take a look at stories throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact or that you might want to look at again.

Punxsutawney Phil was pulled from his tree stump at dawn on Thursday to 'predict' six more weeks of winter. But there's plenty of evidence that won't be the case in the Lehigh Valley and throughout the region.

LGBTQ community leaders in Pennsylvania formed Keystone Equality, a new statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization. Orefield resident Corinne Goodwin will be the Lehigh Valley representative on the board.

Medical experts say recent legislation could help reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths in Pennsylvania.

A spokesman for the center said the conservative attacks made them concerned about the safety of kids and parents.

Denise Snyder founded St. Luke’s Nurses Honor Guard for those dedicated to the profession.

The city is hoping to gain approval as one of only a handful of World Heritage Sites in the U.S. — and join with other locations in Europe as a single Moravian Church settlement site of significance.

“It’s really kind of this multifaceted device that is a toy — but it’s also more of a therapeutic tool, device or aid,” Lehigh Valley native Howard Romans said.

This New Year’s Day, tens of thousands of people across the country, including dozens in the Valley, will take a guided hike through a state park to mark the beginning of 2024.

Dozens of Lehigh Valley projects cashed checks worth nearly $19 million in fiscal year 2023 thanks to support from U.S. Rep. Susan Wild and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. The Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation brought home $364.5 million in earmarks, which ranked in the top half of U.S. states.

Under the bill, gun owners could lose their license to carry if they try to take a loaded weapon onto a plane. This would be similar to losing a license for possessing a small amount of marijuana, one lawmaker said.

Executive Education Academy Charter has been waiting to appeal its application denial since 2021. Gov. Josh Shapiro's nominees were just confirmed by the State Senate earlier this month.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s gift ban says he can’t take tickets from groups with “financial relations with the Commonwealth.” Team Pennsylvania was awarded $1.8 million in state contracts this year.

The most popular names have been a constant the past few years, according to the major health networks. But one trend that emerged in 2023 in the Lehigh Valley seems to be tied to sports — specifically, the success and popularity of the Philadelphia Phillies. Taylor Swift also may be having an impact.

The Pennsylvania Department of State is starting a new office to help train county election workers, Pa. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. It also plans to update its guidance for logic and accuracy testing that could have caught issues with the Northampton County voting machines.

Lafayette College will host the 2024 vice presidential debate this coming September, drawing the world's eyes to its Easton campus. Nicole Hurd, the college's president, hopes it will be an opportunity to highlight the liberal arts school and the greater Easton community.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg passed nearly three dozen laws last week in a final burst of action as they held their last voting session of the year.

Nippon Steel is set to pay more than $14 billion to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel in a deal that Rep. Susan Wild said is “really kind of heartbreaking."

Pennsylvania's gas tax– the highest in the nation in 2023 – will drop from $0.611/gallon to $0.576/gallon and will remain in place through 2024.