State & Regional News

Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered Pennsylvania flags on all Commonwealth facilities, buildings, and grounds be lowered to half-staff to honor the victims of the RM Palmer Company factory explosion.

West Reading's police chief announced two additional fatalities on Sunday evening, ending the search for two missing individuals. The search and rescue operation followed a chocolate factory explosion Friday night.

Reporter Julian Abraham spent the weekend covering the explosion that occurred Friday at a chocolate factory in West Reading.

As part of a yearlong investigation, The Associated Press obtained the data points underpinning several algorithms deployed by child welfare agencies to understand how they predict which children could be at risk of harm.

A chemical spill of a latex product late Friday in Bristol Township released contaminants into a Delaware River tributary, according to OEM officials.

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.

In a phone interview, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild looked back a year to the day she was whisked from the House chambers to an undisclosed location, hopefully out of harm's way.

The Republican says the GOP needs to change its Trump-enthused strategy.

The voting machine maker wants the machines to be examined only by an approved inspector.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe has boosted fossil fuels and denied climate change.

It's uncertain whether the May primary election will go on as scheduled due to redistricting issues.

The money will be used to pay for public transit systems in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Improvements have been made, but the rate still lags behind other developed nations.

More than 5,000 Pennsylvanians died from overdoses last year.

The Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program is funded by coronavirus relief money.

Hospitals in Scranton and York will receive more acute-care capacity and EMS support.

The move is in response to a request by the Wolf administration for federal assistance.

Opponents say a new Lehigh Valley Senate seat splinters rapidly-growing Latino communities.