State & Regional News

It’s a special year for cicadas, insects known for their high-pitched mating songs. Two adjacent broods are expected to co-emerge for the first time in 221 years. Here's the next time they emerge in the Valley.

Stanley cups have skyrocketed in popularity, following other trends in reusable drinkware. But, fads like these can encourage overconsumption, experts said.

The state agency that promotes hunting in Pennsylvania has hired a lobbying firm run by a former top lawmaker using tens of thousands of dollars in public funds.

Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to invest more money in Pennsylvania's transit authorities. The money could plug a funding gap at LANTA as COVID relief dollars run dry, said Executive Director Owen O'Neil.

Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed increasing basic education funding by $1.1 billion, laying the groundwork to slash tuition costs at state-owned schools and taking out a $500 million bond to spur economic development.

Gov. Shapiro will deliver his budget address on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The deadline to deliver a completed spending plan is June 30.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, state parks across Pennsylvania were inundated with visitors.

State officials late last month announced the theme for this year’s annual tick-themed art contest, “Protect. Check. Remove.” Last year, there were no winners in the Lehigh Valley.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Republican congressional candidates Maria Montero and Ryan Mackenzie criticized U.S. Rep. Susan Wild after she said Carbon County "drank the Trump Kool-Aid" on a conference call with prominent Pennsylvania Democrats.

Backlogs and bottlenecks have dragged out wait times for a $350 million Pennsylvania mortgage relief program, leaving homeowners stuck in a high-stakes game of telephone.

A storm system is forecast to approach the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday and bring with it a variety of wintry hazards, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather advisory.

A complex storm system is taking aim at the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, and the midweek event could bring an extended period of snow to the area. But forecasters caution the "warm nose" of the storm could spoil the event for some.

Rep. Robert Freeman, Pennsylvania's longest serving House member, has quietly changed Pennsylvania's planning laws.

The high cost of living is the biggest problem for rural voters, according to a new national survey commissioned by the Save the Children Action Network.

Disputes over partisanship led local organizations to schedule competing workshops for potential political candidates.

The commonwealth's unemployment rate has dipped below four percent for the first time since recording of the rate started.

For the 15th year in a row, the region, including the Lehigh Valley, is being recognized for the most organ donations in the country. Gift of Life Donor Program aided in reaching that goal.

The city's first major running festival since Runner's World's in 2019 will include a 5K, 10K and half-marathon.

Pennsylvania lawmakers are looking to remove a provision in state law that bars educators from wearing religious garb while in the classroom. The Senate approved the legislation by a 49-0 vote on Wednesday. The measure now goes to the House.

A proposed constitutional amendment being considered in Harrisburg would bring more clarity for when a politician charged with a crime must be forced out of office.

Democrat Josh Shapiro will become the 48th governor of Pennsylvania at Tuesday's inaugural ceremony at the state Capitol, taking the oath of office on a cold winter day in the nation's fifth-most populous state on the heels of his blowout win in November's election.