State & Regional News

A Democrat who promised to govern as an independent was elected speaker of the narrowly divided Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday on the strength of about a dozen GOP votes.

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.

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.

“We don’t want to see any more individuals die from an opioid use disorder that don’t need to die,” said Barbara Durkin, director of Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

Lehigh Valley Health Network is one of three hospital systems in the country chosen to participate in the study. Oncologists with LVHN are looking for patients to participate.

The annual tradition for many doubles as a science fair you can take part in.

Starbucks workers around the country are walking off the job starting Friday, in what will be a three-day strike. It will be the longest work stoppage in the year-old unionization campaign.

“I’m going to be second-guessing myself until the day I die,” Wolf, a two-term Democrat, said during a live public interview with Spotlight PA on Thursday.

Pennsylvania House Republican leader Bryan Cutler is seeking to wait until the May primary before holding special elections in two vacant districts.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, perhaps the most powerful politician ever from the Lehigh Valley, made his farewell address on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon.

A website, Fallen Firefighters of New Tripoli, details the men's lives, contains their obituaries and displays several photos. Funeral services are set for Saturday.

Rep. Susan Wild and Sen. Bob Casey supported the bill, which offers protections for gay and interracial marriages. Sen. Pat Toomey missed the vote.

Bethlehem Police promised more than $1M of the money, for body-cams and retention bonuses. Some of the money will go to justice initiatives and safety programs.

Members of Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board are publicly questioning the Wolf administration’s oversight of doctors and third-party certification companies.

State officials expanded the order earlier this year to include four different forms of the drug, including a nasal spray and a syringe option with two injectable single-dose vials of naloxone.