State & Regional News

In the home stretch of summer, is the worst of the heat behind us? Here’s where things stand in the Lehigh Valley as we look ahead — and enter the peak of hurricane season.

The American Red Cross and Miller-Keystone Blood Bank are urging people to give blood to avoid a critically low situation. A summer slump and severe weather has impacted donations.

Four farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, an amusement park that has drawn generations of families for nearly 100 years to the Ocean City boardwalk, will close at the end of the 2024 season. Operators say it's "no longer a viable business."

The Storm Prediction Center has extended a tornado watch until 10 p.m., and the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning until 6:45 p.m.

With Tropical Storm Debby on approach to the region, forecasters continue to refine key messaging on what the Lehigh Valley can expect. We're at a 'slight' risk for severe weather, with tornadoes the main threat. Both Lehigh and Northampton counties are also under a flood watch.

Tropical Storm Debby has been flooding parts of the Atlantic coast as remnants make their way north. As a result, PA-Task Force 1 has been deployed to assist North Carolina in emergency response operations.

Officials in Bethlehem celebrated part of the city's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Wednesday, while making plans for the site's future.

A cold front interacting with moisture from Tropical Storm Debby left the region awash in heavy rain on Tuesday, triggering flash flood warnings and water rescues. More rain will come Friday as Debby moves over the area.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to be her running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket.

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.

Moms for Liberty, a Florida-based nonprofit that didn't exist in 2020, has become a power player in conservative politics ahead of the 2024 elections, including in the Lehigh Valley.

Spraying began 9 a.m. at Washington Crossing State Park. Black flies have been a recognized pest of humans and livestock in Pennsylvania since the 1970s.

Around 53-hundred mail carriers were attacked by dogs last year, according to the United States Postal Service. Pennsylvania is 4th on the list of top dog bites among postal workers.