State & Regional News

The most popular names have been a constant the past few years, according to the major health networks. But one trend that emerged in 2023 in the Lehigh Valley seems to be tied to sports — specifically, the success and popularity of the Philadelphia Phillies. Taylor Swift also may be having an impact.

The Pennsylvania Department of State is starting a new office to help train county election workers, Pa. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. It also plans to update its guidance for logic and accuracy testing that could have caught issues with the Northampton County voting machines.

Lafayette College will host the 2024 vice presidential debate this coming September, drawing the world's eyes to its Easton campus. Nicole Hurd, the college's president, hopes it will be an opportunity to highlight the liberal arts school and the greater Easton community.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg passed nearly three dozen laws last week in a final burst of action as they held their last voting session of the year.

Nippon Steel is set to pay more than $14 billion to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel in a deal that Rep. Susan Wild said is “really kind of heartbreaking."

Pennsylvania's gas tax– the highest in the nation in 2023 – will drop from $0.611/gallon to $0.576/gallon and will remain in place through 2024.

It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.

Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott said these types of incentives will help to attract “the best and brightest” candidates to serve the city.

More than three dozen projects in the Valley were awarded grants, receiving about 7% of the total funding awarded. Statewide, $335 million in grants were announced Wednesday.

Driven by $8.1 billion in manufacturing, the Lehigh Valley's Gross Domestic Product grew to a record $50.2 billion in 2022. The region's economy now ranks above Vermont and Wyoming.

Before the pandemic, the hajj pilgrimage drew millions each year to Islam's holy city of Mecca, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that observant Muslims pray toward five times a day.

The Vatican opened a file on the disappearance of a teenage girl months after a new Netflix documentary aired on the case and weeks after her family asked the Italian Parliament to take up the cause.

Georgia, ranked No. 1, stopped Texas Christian's vaunted offense and ended their improbable season. The Bulldogs are the first team to repeat as champion in the college football playoff era.

Chef Rene Redzepi's house of Nordic gastronomy will close by the winter of 2024 and re-emerge as Noma 3.0, the Copenhagen eatery said on its webpage.

Legislators in the state's House of Representatives were set for a special meeting Monday to increase the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse. They stalled all day and never held a vote.

The documents were discovered in November by President Biden's attorneys, who then notified the National Archives and turned the materials over.

The House voted Monday on a new rules package that contains key concessions to the most conservative wing of the party.

Brazilian authorities arrested over 1,500 people following Sunday's assault on top government buildings by supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, who's taken temporary residence in the U.S.

The connection between weather and climate change has never been clearer. And simultaneous extremes, such as hot and dry weather together, are particularly dangerous.

The proceeds from the T-shirts will benefit first responders and the University of Cincinnati's Trauma Center where Hamlin had been receiving treatment.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba details the so-called ceasefire, the options he believes Vladimir Putin has left, and what counts as a victory for Ukraine from here on.

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