State & Regional News

State environmental officials, along with conservationists across the U.S., are partnering this summer for a firefly observation program called the Firefly Watch Community Science Project.

Talks between Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, the Republican-controlled state Senate, and the narrowly Democratic-controlled state House fell apart last week thanks to a deadlock over whether to include private school vouchers in the spending plan.

Police say a gunman in a bulletproof vest has opened fire on the streets of Philadelphia, killing five people and wounding two boys before he surrendered to responding officers. The shootings took place over several city blocks, and dozens of spent shell casings were found.

O'Hanlon retired at Lafayette in 2022 after 27 seasons. His hiring at Cardinal O'Hara in Delaware County brings him back to the Philadelphia Catholic League, where he played high school ball in the 1960s.

Megan Ryan, the VP for enrollment at Muhlenberg College, said the college will not change its diversity goals following the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action.

Earlier this month, the state Senate approved Sen. Lisa Boscola's bill, which would increase the fine and direct any fees collected towards bald and golden eagle conservation efforts across the commonwealth.

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for several counties in eastern Pennsylvania, including Lehigh and Northampton. The watch will remain in effect until 11 p.m. Sunday.

Changing their tune? Pennsylvania lawmakers consider replacing the state's official song.

Lehigh Valley prepares for a humid Sunday with the possibility of severe thunderstorms and damaging winds. Showers and thunderstorms are expected in the afternoon, with a line of storms forming and moving eastward. There is also a small chance for brief spin-ups.

Officials and residents of several New Jersey shore towns say the state’s law decriminalizing marijuana use is having an unintended effect: emboldening large groups of teenagers to run amok on beaches and boardwalks, knowing there is little chance of them getting in trouble for it.

Construction crews have been working around the clock to build a temporary overpass that will allow for I-95 to reopen.

“Demand was obviously greater than supply of resources, there’s no doubt about that,” Lehigh County Board of Commissioners Chairman Geoff Brace said, attributing the need to a combination of aging housing stock and the lack of household income in the region.

While environmentalists and researchers said impacts on the region’s crops and water may be few due to the short duration of smoky days, it’s a largely understudied topic.

About 1.5 million people have lost Medicaid coverage in more than two dozen states as a post-pandemic purge of the rolls gets underway.

A trooper and a suspect both were shot and killed in a shootout in central Pennsylvania, just hours after a 2nd trooper was seriously injured after being shot by the gunman, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Chris Kiskeravage worked as a career firefighter in Easton and Allentown. He wanted to know more about the link between cancer and the firefighting profession. When he died June 9 at age 56, his body was donated to research, according to his family.

The word from Gov. Josh Shapiro came after he had joined President Joe Biden on a helicopter tour over the critical stretch of highway that's been closed to East Coast traffic since last weekend.

Lower Saucon Township was just awarded almost $510,000 in grant funding, to redevelop the ball fields off Easton Road.

The Museum Pass program offered by Allentown Public Library has grown to include partnerships with close to 20 museums, gardens and historic sites in Eastern Pennsylvania. It's exclusive to adult residents in Allentown.

Staff at the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study are reviewing more than 600 suggested projects for the region's Long Range Transportation Plan. Planners anticipate getting $4.3 billion in funding, which isn't enough to meet all the needs.

Regional and national news outlets Thursday left out an important detail about the return of the Canadian wildfire smoke — it was nowhere near the ground.

Gov. Josh Shapiro put the reconstruction of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia front and center on Thursday, launching a livestream of the progress that will run online 24/7 until the job is finished.