State & Regional News

West Reading's police chief announced two additional fatalities on Sunday evening, ending the search for two missing individuals. The search and rescue operation followed a chocolate factory explosion Friday night.

Reporter Julian Abraham spent the weekend covering the explosion that occurred Friday at a chocolate factory in West Reading.

As part of a yearlong investigation, The Associated Press obtained the data points underpinning several algorithms deployed by child welfare agencies to understand how they predict which children could be at risk of harm.

A chemical spill of a latex product late Friday in Bristol Township released contaminants into a Delaware River tributary, according to OEM officials.

Three people died and four remain missing in the explosion at the R.M. Palmer Co. chocolate-making plant in West Reading. The grim announcement Saturday night came after a day of hope spurred by a victim found alive in the wreckage early in the day.

Pennsylvania will again operate a water assistance program for low-income households behind in their water or wastewater bills, state officials announced last week.

While the report indicates positive trends, community advocates and leaders raised concerns about high rates of gun violence and educational outcomes. They called for more hyper-localized data to identify trends and correlations between issues impacting Black communities.

Thursday's March For Our Lives rally marks its fifth anniversary since its inception after a 2018 mass shooting at a Florida high school. Hundreds are expected at Thursday's rally in Harrisburg, which coincides with rallies this week in Florida, Michigan, California and Texas.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said he's long admired the Lehigh Valley's unique ability to build partnerships. It's a skillset he said he hopes to bring to other communities across the state to promote economic growth. Shapiro was keynote speaker at the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. annual meeting in Bethlehem.

A six-month investigation found the state’s “competency” review system is so broken it often extends incarceration, which can exacerbate mental health issues.

A deadline set by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration came and went Friday for lawmakers to pass a package of proposed constitutional amendments on the statewide ballot in May’s primary election

Central Bucks South High School librarian Matt Pecic said a principal told him to take down four posters with a quote from Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel.

A mother bear and her cubs are nestled under the deck of a Pike County home, and you can peek in on them 24/7. The camera is expected to be up until late March or early April, when the bears leave the den.

The additional payments, created during the pandemic will stop and SNAP recipient households will go back to receiving one payment a month.

Based on history alone, fans of winter should be optimistic. But El Niño doesn't just affect one season, and scientists warn its possible return is a major cause for concern. Here's what we know so far.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania has the 24th-largest collection of unrepatriated Native American remains in the U.S. Getting them back to their tribes is a challenge.

The rule was published earlier this month and applies to all 3,117 water systems. Both chemicals belong to the group of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS, which are used in products such as nonstick cookware, carpets, firefighting foam and fast-food wrappers.

Superintendent Joe Roy says no violation of law or regulation was found. But the Pennsylvania Auditor General's Office said the district had other options at its disposal rather than relying on taxpayers.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 4 p.m. Wednesday, with snow coming down in a predicted burst across much of the Lehigh Valley.

The company says the issue has been resolved, but it's still asking people to pay the full amount on their bills — even if they were charged in error.

The chief economist for Wells Fargo’s Corporate and Investment Bank told a Bethlehem crowd the Federal Reserve Board is unlikely to stick a soft landing as it battles inflation.

Backlogs and bottlenecks have dragged out wait times for a $350 million Pennsylvania mortgage relief program, leaving homeowners stuck in a high-stakes game of telephone.