State & Regional News

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

Multiple media outlets report Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty. A change of plea hearing is set for Wednesday. Kohberger’s trial had been set to begin in August

The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Known as "tranq" on the streets, an animal tranquilizer named xylazine infiltrated drug supplies throughout Pennsylvania since 2019. Its presence in the Lehigh Valley has grown, with deadly consequences.

Life changed for Bethlehem's Moravian community as the Revolutionary War waged. "Suddenly, the world just descends," said one historian. This is the first in a recurring series exploring the Lehigh Valley's place in American history.

WLVR's Brad Klein talks with Bethlehem's Backyard Astronomy Guy, Marty McGuire about planetary viewing in this week's Watching the Skies. Leading into the first week of July, viewers can snag a better view of the planet Mercury just after sunset.

The Clean Trucks PA Coalition report identified more than 600 schools, childcare centers, playgrounds and parks near major roadways and trucking corridors across the state.

In the past four years, Lehigh and Northampton counties each saw a roughly 3% population increase, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday.

In addition to live music, there will be more than a dozen local vendors, businesses and crafters, as well as trail and outdoor demonstrations, and group walks.

The heat this week was one of the hottest stretches of weather ever recorded in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Advocacy groups say greater clarity about the terms sex, religious creed and race would be a significant step forward, building on a 2018 decision by the commission to start accepting complaints about anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.

PennDOT will spend millions of dollars to start construction on major transportation projects including bridges, traffic circles, milling, paving and patching roadways and updating interchanges.

A 2018 decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court provided a template for voting-rights advocates to pursue gerrymandering claims in state courts.

The legal office of Pennsylvania’s governor won’t explain why it paid private law firms at least $367,500.

Gov. Tom Wolf is backing a regulatory change that would formalize nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people while circumventing the legislature.

In 2021, the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism tabulated 2,717 antisemitic incidents throughout the United States. It was a 34% increase from 2020 and the highest number on record since the ADL began tracking in 1979. The Lehigh Valley has seen numerous incidents.

Is there rain and wind, or something more interesting in store for the Lehigh Valley in the coming days?That’s what readers are wondering as a parade of storms begins to roll through the region.

School bus crash in Palmer Township saw no injuries of students and only minor injury of sedan driver

Retail giant Amazon says it's addressing the needs of customers faced with rising costs on essential needs this holiday season and beyond. The company has rolled out an online hub to assist families looking to pay with SNAP benefits.

A second Pa. appellate court judge, Deborah Kunselman, will run for an open seat on the state Supreme Court in next November’s election.

The Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association is celebrating a milestone birthday with ice cream, not cake. They'll debut a new milkshake flavor at this year's PA Farm Show, but fans can get a free taste at pop-up events through December.

Voters with no religious affiliation supported Democratic candidates and abortion rights by staggering percentages in the 2022 midterm elections. And the religiously unaffiliated are growing.