State & Regional News

Held June 7 in Bethlehem, the Lehigh Valley Environmental Advisory Council Network’s “Funding Municipal Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs,” focused on federal and state funding opportunities available to organizations across the region.

There’s one major question as we approach the summer solstice in the Lehigh Valley – where’s the warmth?

The House budget recently passed on a party-line vote increased school maintenance funding to $350 million from $100 million proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro

Few, if any, bridges in Pennsylvania insulate the steel beams in their decks, PennDOT Deputy Secretary Mike Rebert said Wednesday. High-intensity fires capable of destabilizing those bridges are rare, but do happen.

Democrats in Pennsylvania are optimistic that Republicans will finally agree to raise the state's minimum wage after years of debate. A Republican member of the state Senate's leadership team is leading a bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, providing hope for a resolution, although challenges remain in the GOP-controlled state Senate.

The late William Jacob Heller founded The American Flag Manufacturing Co. in Easton in 1887, helping popularize the U.S. flag nationally. Heller is credited as being instrumental in having flags hung at schoolhouses throughout the nation.

Local experts say the Lehigh Valley is well prepared to knock down wildfires, but state data show those blazes are becoming much more common across Pennsylvania.

The Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors reported home sales dropped 22% in May — normally a busy season. Increased interest rates and tight inventory in Lehigh and Northampton counties were driving the figures, according to GLVR.

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, is the architect of a bill that would allocate $100 million of federal American Rescue Plan funding for mental health programs. It passed the House last week and is under state Senate consideration.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners in April voted to remove the mail-in application process for antlerless licenses, as well as move up the sale to the fourth Monday in June.

Instead of "watchful waiting," the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends intensive lifestyle and behavior therapy for young kids, and for older children, medication.

Doctors say they are still unsure what caused Hamlin's collapse during the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals a week ago.

The city's water system has suffered disruptions for years, but Christopher Wells says that the city received every loan it requested, and that an ongoing civil rights investigation is political.

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey says the new ban will stop pollution from "billions of pieces of plastic." Advocates applaud the move but say it doesn't go far enough on its own.

President Biden approved an emergency declaration as parts of California issue evacuation orders and close school districts after intense downpours.

Brazil's far-right ex-president was lying low in Orlando, Fla., as a mob of his supporters stormed government buildings this weekend. Analysts say the move insulates him from possible legal jeopardy.

Khalid Mumin, who has been superintendent of the Lower Merion School district in suburban Philadelphia for a little over a year, will be nominated for education secretary after Josh Shapiro is inaugurated on Jan. 17.

Catch up on key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

An NPR analysis of data released by the Small Business Administration shows the vast majority of Paycheck Protection Program loans have been forgiven, even though the program was rampant with fraud.

Instead of health insurance, the Rev. Jeff King had signed up for an alternative that left members of the plan to share the costs of health care. That meant lower premiums, but a huge hospital bill.

Owning a home is still a cornerstone of the American dream for many, and a key way to build wealth. What happens when a pandemic and economic headwinds make that feel out of reach?

Harrisburg's popular Farm Show featured vendors and exhibits from the Lehigh Valley at its opening day Saturday.