State & Regional News

Black Friday is almost upon us, when retailers kick off the holiday season with offers meant to get customers in the shopping mood. A number of stores that were closed on Thanksgiving, including Walmart and Target, reopen early Friday as the holiday shopping season begins in earnest.

In an effort to ensure drivers in the Lehigh Valley abide by speed limits and remain mindful of not being distracted, Pennsylvania State Police plan to step up enforcement from Wednesday through Sunday in this Thanksgiving holiday period.

A federal court has directed Pennsylvania counties to accept mail ballots that a voter has failed to date or misdated, a long-awaited decision that could affect thousands of ballots in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

The Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence is open to any commonwealth business, farm, government agency, educational institution or nonprofit organization that has developed or participated in a project that promotes environmental protection and stewardship. Applications are due by Jan. 3.

When state officials announced a series of in-person and virtual meetings there were no in-person meetings slated for the Lehigh Valley, even though the region is the third largest metropolitan area in the commonwealth. A meeting in Allentown has been added to the schedule.

A significant storm is set to soak the region this week, and it will come during the peak travel days ahead of Thanksgiving. Some areas could even see wintry precipitation.

Pennsylvania saw a nearly 50% increase in Hispanic-owned businesses between 2012 and 2019, according to Census data. Non-Hispanic businesses increased by 9.3%, which means Latinos are creating businesses at a higher rate than their non-Hispanic peers.

While the goal is to transition communities to clean energy while creating jobs, there are still many unknowns about the projects. Even though there are two hubs slated for Pennsylvania, it could be a while before the Lehigh Valley’s residents begin to feel any impacts.

First introduced by state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh Valley, in 2015 and approved by the Senate in July, the bill would increase the fine and direct any monies collected towards bald and golden eagle conservation efforts across the commonwealth.

"We were building the plane while we were flying it,” said one consultant.

Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro applauds the move and says he's prepared for pushback from gun rights groups.

Pregnant women in Pennsylvania who are insured through Medicaid will now have coverage for a full year after giving birth, rather than just 60 days post-partum.

Former President Trump's endorsement of Dr. Mehmet Oz could have mixed results, some say.

A Lehigh County probe showed 288 cases of people depositing more than one ballot - a violation of the law.

Preventive programs can help people stay healthier and are available for no extra Medicare premium.

The Safe2Say Something program receives thousands of tips about mental health, bullying and harassment.

The American Trucker Association estimates a shortage of 80,000 drivers nationwide.

Lt. Gov. Fetterman says the digital update is long overdue.

Virtual public hearings on the new rules are set to begin this week.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will take the 1st steps toward confirmation Monday.

Attention focused on a candidate not in attendance -- Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.

One solution is to allow more clinicians to give a diagnosis of autism.