State & Regional News

Albeit late, lawmakers passed a $47.6 billion plan for the fiscal year that started July 1, with much focus on education this year.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission issued 19 recommendations for PPL Electric to improve upon, including fixing its poor customer service and restoring power to customers faster following an outage.

The National Weather Service posted a flood watch starting at 6 a.m. Friday for the Philadelphia region and its suburbs.

The $208 million will also produce 295 new union jobs, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s announcement said, though it’s unclear what cut of the funding the Macungie facility is getting or the number of new jobs expected locally.

Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled new designs for highway welcome signs and license plates this week, both featuring the Liberty Bell and the phrase "Let Freedom Ring." But it appears history hot spot Easton was left out.

While the Easton Police Department only took a few phone calls over fireworks complaints for July 4, it appears citizens and city council are riled up over the nuisance and danger tied to the explosives.

Hellertown Borough's historical society touts the Heller-Wagner Grist Mill, located along West Walnut Street, as one of the oldest landmarks in town. The mill operated into the 1950s.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, is looking to force his predecessor, now Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne, to release tax returns about Allentown's Neighborhood Improvement Zone. Browne, who crafted the NIZ, has worked to keep the information confidential for five years.

Funding was awarded through the Lehigh Valley Greenways Mini Grant Program. The program aims to protect and promote natural resources through the implementation of ready-to-go, single-year projects.

The National Weather Service expanded an excessive heat warning into the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, calling for dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 105 degrees. A severe weather threat will follow.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is focusing specifically on child and adolescent mental health, Levine said.

The U.S. assistant secretary for health, who will speak at Texas Christian University, says physicians need to be more vocal in fighting politically motivated attacks on vulnerable trans youth.

It comes as the Lehigh County DA plans to station detectives at mail-in ballot drop boxes.

Construction should begin next year, with a planned opening of mid-2024.

Frontrunners Dr. Mehmet Oz and David McCormick did not attend the forum at Dickinson College.

Christina Warren collects T-shirts, mugs and other items from companies that promised huge changes, but failed to deliver — often in spectacular ways.

The local nonprofit group was among 7 organizations statewide to receive a share of $89,000 in grants.

The war in Ukraine, abortion and strengthening democratic institutions were among the topics.

The tests measure what a child knows on one day and there is no growth measure, Michael Faccinetto said.

Observers are expecting legal challenges to Pa.'s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Leading in the polls, Fetterman was grilled about a 2013 incident in which he confronted a Black man with a shotgun.

Smoking weed in public or bringing cannabis across state lines remains illegal in Pennsylvania.