State & Regional News

Pennsylvania’s highest court has ruled people whose mail ballots are rejected for not following technical procedures in state law can cast provisional ballots. The decision is sure to affect some of the thousands of mail-in votes experts say are likely to be rejected this fall for not following all of the mail-in voting procedures required.

Another visit from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is in order for the Lehigh Valley. The Democratic vice presidential candidate will make his second trip to the area this Friday in Allentown.

Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne testified on the floor of the state senate that some protected tax information about the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone could not be disclosed even to state lawmakers or publicized as otherwise required by state law.

The Bethlehem Area School District is getting $2 million in federal rebates to buy 10 more electric school buses. Officials expect the buses to be in service next school year.

The deadline for Pennsylvanians to register to vote in the 2024 general election is Oct. 21 — just 15 days before Election Day on Nov. 5.

Fethullah Gülen, a reclusive U.S.-based Islamic cleric who inspired a global social movement while facing accusations he masterminded a failed 2016 coup in his native Turkey, has died. He lived the last several years in the Saylorsburg area of Monroe County, Pa.

Pennsylvania law requires voters deposit only their own ballot and prohibits people from returning other voters’ ballots — including a spouse's — to a drop box on their behalf. Enforcement is another issue.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain visited Allentown on Sunday to rally union members for the Harris-Walz ticket and other Democrats on the ballot ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

An Allentown resident living with disabilities recently met with Congresswoman Susan Wild to talk about what congress can do to improve services for people like him.

The manufacturer of Giant's store-brand waffles has issued a recall due to potential listeria contamination, the supplier announced on Oct. 18. 2024.

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.

The World Health organization is changing the name of monkeypox. The current name is thought to be both racist and stigmatizing.

Jarrett Coleman initially planned to stay on as a Parkland School Board member while simultaneously serving in the state Senate. He changed course last month. Good government advocates say such an arrangement creates the potential for conflicts of interest.

Diocese of Allentown Bishop Alfred Schlert will lead a special Vespers service and Mass for the pope emeritus at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown.

Elected leaders will jockey for control of the House for at least a few more weeks.

If you think that African countries have nothing to contribute to the global food supply, Ndidi Nwuneli would like you to think about what you eat daily.

Need continues to grow for emergency food services. With the end of pandemic-era benefits and inflation still not letting up, demand is higher than ever, according to food pantry managers.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will host guided hikes in state parks and forests on Jan. 1. Lehigh Valley hikers may want to head to Jacobsburg State Park for a walk through Henry's Woods.

Bryan Kohberger plans to waive an extradition hearing in Monroe County Court so he can be quickly brought to Idaho to face murder charges, his defense attorney said Saturday.

Pat Browne, Lehigh County's former state senator, created legislation that generated over $1 billion for the Lehigh Valley over 28 years in Harrisburg.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the shy German theologian who tried to reawaken Christianity in a secularized Europe but will forever be remembered as the first pontiff in 600 years to resign from the job, died Saturday. He was 95.