State & Regional News

Guidance “continues to trend towards a warmer solution for Thursday’s storm,” the National Weather Service said, meaning it's going to be a wet, not white, Thanksgiving.

May, an immature female broad-winged hawk, migrated through Hurricane Milton in Florida last month. The hurricane made landfall Oct. 9 near Siesta Key, Fla., as a devastating Category 3 storm.

Forecasters have turned their attention to the end of next week, saying most model guidance indicates a storm system developing and affecting the East Coast — including the mid-Atlantic —around Thanksgiving Day and into Black Friday.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey conceded to Republican challenger David McCormick on Thursday night. The Pennsylvania Department of State ended the automatic recount in the unusually close race since the result was no longer contested.

The drought is far from over, but enough precipitation has fallen to boost the confidence of state officials when it comes to outdoor fires.

Join Megan Frank every Friday at 9:30am and 6:30pm for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week, Brittany Sweeney takes her place, joined by politics reporter Tom Shortell and Easton reporter Brian Myszkowski.

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania is conceding his reelection bid to Republican David McCormick. The concession came Thursday, more than two weeks after Election Day. A statewide recount is showing no signs of closing the gap and Casey's campaign has suffered repeated blows in court.

FirstEnergy sought to raise local customers' electric bills by more than 9%, but the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission blocked the higher rate.

The bipartisan House Tourism & Economic & Recreational Development Committee spent three days in the Lehigh Valley this week. Part of the visit included a hearing with local organizers to discuss funding celebrations of America's 250th anniversary.

After a steady – but not soaking – overnight rain, the area remains on track to break a pair of records that have stood the test of time. But more precipitation is on the way, including snow.

As the delta variant sweeps through, Pennsylvania reported more than 3,400 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, an increase of nearly 50% in one day and the biggest spike since May.

The acting head of the state’s Department of Human Services, Meg Snead, visited Bethlehem Wednesday to detail a billion-dollar federal program to help renters in counties with substantial or high levels of transmission of COVID-19, like Northampton County.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is hearing from former Justice Department leaders who knew about an effort by former President Donald Trump to use the DOJ to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.

Pennsylvania’s shortage of at-home nurses for children with complex medical needs has left parents to fend for themselves.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is trying a two-pronged approach to keep K-12 school environments safe from a recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

Pennsylvania’s environmental regulator is levying an $85,666 penalty against Sunoco for issues with its Mariner East project in four counties last year.

The U.S. is preparing for Afghan refugee arrivals after the Taliban took over the country’s government. Some refugee resettlement organizations in Central Pennsylvania are also mobilizing.

If you’re planning a visit to a national park, you’ll need to pack a mask even if you’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The rapid fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban surprised a lot of Americans.

Pennsylvania’s largest teachers union, which represents nearly 200,000 teachers and school workers on Monday commended the Pennsylvania Department of Health after it announced a plan to bring free COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics to schools statewide.

Artist Omaid Sharifi is unsure if he'll be able to continue painting murals on the streets of Kabul following the Taliban's takeover. During pervious Taliban rule, art was discouraged.

NPR speaks with John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, about how the U.S. military and Afghan government arrived at this point.