State & Regional News

A coalition with wealthy backers is pushing Pennsylvania lawmakers to use public dollars to create tuition vouchers so K-12 students can attend private schools. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration is in support of this idea.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

In the wake of an antisemitic group spreading hateful flyers across the area, Rep. Susan Wild and the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley are making it clear that hate has no place in the Lehigh Valley.

State Sen. Lisa Boscola said she will remain a Democrat but will promote the centrist ideology of the centrist Forward Party co-founded by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania officials enlisted the help of Pocono Raceway to speed up the I-95 bridge repair.

There is $1.5 million in funds to be distributed to those in need by Community Action Lehigh Valley.

Republicans leaders are working to increase the number of conservatives who vote by mail. But they may have their work cut out for them after years of attacking the mail-in ballot system.

Pennsylvania's Democratic-controlled House of Representatives approved a measure that would raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2026 in a close vote Tuesday. It has an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate.

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.

In 2020, Gender Queer was given a Stonewall Honor and an Alex Award and was headed for a fourth printing. By spring of 2022 it topped the ALA's list of most challenged books.

The lawsuit, which the parties first filed in 2014, argues Pennsylvania's funding of K-12 education is inadequate to the point that it violates the state’s constitution.

Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin is in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest on the field Monday night. A cardiologist with Lehigh Valley Health Network explains what that is and how fast-acting physicians on the sidelines may have saved his life.

Workers earning minimum wage in 23 states and the District of Columbia got a raise over the New Year's holiday, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

The new lawmakers from the Lehigh Valley joined more than 50 other new faces who were ceremonially sworn in to the General Assembly in Harrisburg.

Bryan Kohberger, the man with Lehigh Valley ties facing first-degree murder charges in the slayings of four University of Idaho students, did not fight extradition at a hearing Tuesday in Monroe County Court.

People in Pennsylvania who buy or carry fentanyl testing strips will no longer face potential criminal charges for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Households that qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program can receive up to $30 off monthly internet bills, as well as $100 toward buying a laptop.

Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls will increase 5% starting January 8th. Turnpike tolls have increased each year since 2008.

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania’s state House are scheduled to elect a new speaker Tuesday.

The Pennsylvania State Police investigated hundreds of crashes over the Christmas holiday weekend, with a rise in crashes, fatal crashes and the number of people killed. One fatality occurred during an alcohol-related crash in Lower Macungie Township.

The new Congress, including Rep. Susan Wild and Senator-elect John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, will be sworn into office at noon on Jan. 3, 2023.