State & Regional News

Pennsylvania election officials say the rate of mail-in ballots rejected for technicalities saw a significant drop in last month’s primary election. That is after state officials tried anew to help voters avoid mistakes that might get their ballots thrown out.

A special hourlong program livestreamed on LehighValleyNews.com Wednesday night. Panelists included Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure. The nonpartisan civic education group Keep Our Republic was a partner in the production.

The safety of a skin care procedure that draws patients’ blood and uses it in the healing process is coming into question. A Lehigh Valley nurse explains how to stay safe while receiving a vampire facial.

A report from the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion has former President Donald Trump with a 3-point lead over President Joe Biden in a head-to-head battle. That lead becomes a tie when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is included as an option.

More than a dozen wild birds in Pennsylvania have so far been confirmed to have the strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI. The threat to humans is low.

The spring migration count at Hawk Mountain began last month. One-day peak counts reach more than 100 birds in mid- to late-April, with this season’s count continuing through May 15.

The Democratic-controlled House passed legislation that would let counties get a head start counting mail-in ballots. But Senate Republicans are unlikely to pass it without an unlikely compromise on voter ID provisions.

After a lengthy battle with a local zoning office, neonatal kitten rescue Foxy's Cradle has found a new way to continue their mission to save young felines: a mobile kitten unit, which was unveiled at a Slatington fire rescue on Sunday, May 5.

Pennsylvania Master Naturalist is partnering with the Lehigh County Conservation District to host a Master Naturalist Volunteer training. The course aims to bolster local conservation efforts.

A Montour County environmental educator, arborist and musician is attempting to climb the tallest tree at the highest point in each of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties.

The Hooters performed to a nearly sold-out crowd Friday at Univest Performance Center in Quakertown.

The airport will get $940,000 from the state to update facilities in the Multimodal Transportation Center and airport terminal.

The Lower Saucon Planning Commission voted 4-1, recommending a council vote in favor of the ordinance that would make landfills a permitted use on the parcels.

A woman accused of intentionally abandoning her dog at a Pennsylvania airport before she boarded a flight to a resort in Mexico earlier this month has been charged with animal cruelty and related charges.

Three studies show smoke from Canadian wildfires led to a spike in people with asthma visiting emergency rooms in the United States. One study collected data from about 4,000 U.S. hospitals.

The Weather Prediction Center said one inch per hour rainfall rates are possible, as well as “precipitation totals on the order of 1 to 2 plus inches through the period.”

Conservative voters walked away impressed with Vivek Ramaswamy's performance in Wednesday's Republican presidential debate, but most still pined for former President Donald Trump.

Public health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella, including in Pennsylvania. Dozens of people have fallen ill and at least nine have been hospitalized.

The state Senate is returning to Harrisburg on Aug. 30 ahead of its previously scheduled return of Sept. 18.

More organic waste from residential and industrial uses has city staff pursuing a solution, which would include a $1.4 million chemically enhanced primary treatment system.

The Macungie family has other notable works around the Lehigh Valley and tri-state area, including the artwork for the most recent Musikfest.

With a roadmap toward spooky season, the Lehigh Valley’s weather looks to match the fall decor now blanketing stores across the region. Cooler temperatures are on the way.