State & Regional News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture updated its plant hardiness map, showing a warmer Lehigh Valley. The region has moved into a warmer zone from the one where it was placed more than a decade ago. Experts say it has consequences for plant seasons and species.

If you're doing anything outdoors, do it Saturday. Rain will arrive Sunday and is forecast to intensify later in the day, with gusty winds. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Sunday afternoon into Monday afternoon.

In a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro, state Rep. Milou Mackenzie asked the Department of State to provide Northampton County with instructions on how to avoid more Election Day mistakes with their voting machines.

A sprawling storm system is expected to bring heavy rain, strong winds and snow to the region this weekend.

Almost 11,000 birds of prey were counted this year during the Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s annual autumn hawk watch as they made their way along the raptor "superhighway" in the Valley’s backyard.

Amtrak officials previously said passenger rail between Allentown and New York City could be restored as soon as 2024. However, a $300,000 study exploring the proposed connection is more than a month overdue.

Forecasters say the Lehigh Valley will see a mixed bag of precipitation in the days ahead, with snow showers possible Wednesday and Thursday and a potent storm system expected this weekend.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a visit to Allentown that as part of his 2024-25 budget, he will fund a program providing scholarships to students in poor-performing school districts.

State lawmakers on Monday held a committee hearing titled “Minimizing Risk & Harm: Preparing for Pennsylvania’s Hydrogen Future.” It comes almost two months after President Joe Biden announced seven regional clean hydrogen hub projects, including two in Pennsylvania.

A state mandate requiring schools to identify sexual content in books could cost Lehigh Valley school districts significant time, money and resources.

The heavy rains wreaked havoc on the region, already saturated by a round of storms last weekend. And more rain is expected this week.

A freight train derailment in southeast Pennsylvania has spurred precautionary evacuations, but officials say no injuries were reported and there is no known hazard to the public.

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has been transported south and east and is moving into Pennsylvania.

The disease, a relatively new and deadly threat to the American beech, has few treatment options and no known cure.

Construction of a neighborhood hospital in the Gilbertsville area will be the health system's first hospital in Montgomery County.

Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, announced Tuesday she's raised more than $600,000 toward her re-election in the last three months. The race for PA-7 may be among the most hotly contested in the country next year.

Kevin Dellicker, an intelligence officer in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, nearly upset former Lehigh County Commissioner Lisa Scheller in the 2022 GOP primary for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. He'll hope to defeat Democratic incumbent Susan Wild in next year's race.

Storms pounded eastern Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley, with widespread flooding before the heavy rainfall pushed to the east and gradually weakened overnight.

Berks County recorded the highest rainfall totals locally, with storm total accumulations at 10 inches near Oley Township and surrounding areas just after 5 p.m., according to social media reports.

It is predicted that there will be numerous flash floods on Sunday, affecting the area.

An effort to subject Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools to stronger ethics standards and curb the amount of money school districts must pay them passed the state House of Representatives.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with Sarah Mueller and Phil Gianficaro.