State & Regional News

Three people died and four remain missing in the explosion at the R.M. Palmer Co. chocolate-making plant in West Reading. The grim announcement Saturday night came after a day of hope spurred by a victim found alive in the wreckage early in the day.

Pennsylvania will again operate a water assistance program for low-income households behind in their water or wastewater bills, state officials announced last week.

While the report indicates positive trends, community advocates and leaders raised concerns about high rates of gun violence and educational outcomes. They called for more hyper-localized data to identify trends and correlations between issues impacting Black communities.

Thursday's March For Our Lives rally marks its fifth anniversary since its inception after a 2018 mass shooting at a Florida high school. Hundreds are expected at Thursday's rally in Harrisburg, which coincides with rallies this week in Florida, Michigan, California and Texas.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said he's long admired the Lehigh Valley's unique ability to build partnerships. It's a skillset he said he hopes to bring to other communities across the state to promote economic growth. Shapiro was keynote speaker at the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. annual meeting in Bethlehem.

A six-month investigation found the state’s “competency” review system is so broken it often extends incarceration, which can exacerbate mental health issues.

Another social-media fueled challenge has spurred a rise in the theft of Kia and Hyundai vehicles in Pennsylvania, but has the trend caught on in the Lehigh Valley?

Reporting an increase in violent incidents in the state's prisons in 2022, the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association has suggested that staffing needs to increase, and policies need to be reviewed to help make the prisons safer.

U.S. Army Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert died in an attack on troops in Kuwait. His killer was sentenced to death. For Seifert's parents in the Lehigh Valley, the passage of time hasn't eased the loss. 'He was a much-wanted child and a very loved young man,' says his mother Helen.

Officials say some people have received a text message asking for EBT card information and claiming that their card is blocked.

A program that provides universal free meals for kids started early in the pandemic.

As proposed, more than $750 million in new funding would go to schools throughout the state.

Text and chat capacity will be available after July 16.

It will carry the name of Christine Lambert, who died on Christmas Day in 2005.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano might not administer Pennsylvania law fairly, Dent says.

Both DUI arrests and speeding citations were up over last year.

An environmental law expert says the EPA retains substantial authority to regulate emissions.

If passenger train expansion can happen in western Pennsylvania, can it also happen here?

Muhlenberg College has been polling on the topic of climate change since 2007.

The Supreme Court’s ruling is likely to galvanize abortion rights voters in Pennsylvania, an expert says.

Said one woman: 'I keep crying every couple of minutes because I can't believe this is actually happening.'

States that place restrictions on abortions will prompt women to travel for the procedure, health workers say.