State & Regional News

A handful of Lehigh Valley farms are feeling the impact of the federal funding freeze. It's also causing a Harrisburg nonprofit focused on sustainable agriculture to announce furloughs starting next month.

Last year was a big year for dam removals not only in the Lehigh Valley, but across Pennsylvania. The state was ranked first in the U.S. for the most outdated, unsafe and uneconomical dams removed in 2024.

Collectively, the shipments destined for Allentown and Whitehall were valued at $28,550 had the cosmetics been genuine, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers said.

In this week’s Political Pulse, Tom Shortell and Chris Borick discuss the shifting dynamics of U.S. foreign policy, in light of the recent meeting between Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, President Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.

As part of The Road Ahead, our Lehigh Valley traffic project, we thought it would be a good idea to allow folks to test their basic knowledge of the rules of the road. Take the quiz and see how you score.

The Pennsylvania Invasive Replace-ive Program encourages property owners to remove invasive plants by offering native replacements, for free, during events in May throughout the state.

As the winter months pass through, several Lehigh Valley emergency homeless shelters have seen an influx of individuals coming in. For some, this is putting a strain on resources.

Surrounded by family, friends and fans, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley addressed an enthusiastic and raucous crowd at the PPL Center. It came a month after winning the Super Bowl and days after signing a contract extension that made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.

An invasive insect known for its voracious appetite that can defoliate millions of acres of forest, spongy moths have been an annual blight on the Valley and the rest of Pennsylvania for decades.

According to PennDOT, 86 crashes occurred at the same Route 22 interchange between 2019 and 2023, the most recent years of data available. And 34 of those crashes occurred in the exact same spot.

Three seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are up for retention elections this cycle. Typically a "mundane affair," as described by political scientist Chris Borick, these races now have a lot of eyes on them, with parties looking to flip these judicial seats in swing states.

Applications are open for the second Good Farmer Award U.S. Officials are looking for farmers with less than 10 years of experience who exemplify sustainable farming practices while contributing to community and environmental health.

Republican Roger MacLean and Democrat Josh Siegel are vying for a four-year term as Lehigh County executive. The winner in the Nov. 4 election will succeed Democrat Phil Armstrong, who cannot run again because of term limits.

A crop farm in Lehigh County was included in the latest round of Pennsylvania's Farmland Preservation Program. Twenty-three other farms across the state were also preserved.

Operations at Lehigh Valley International Airport have not suffered from the government shutdown to date, according to Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority officials. However, an increase in air traffic controllers calling out sick during the last shutdown spurred a deal in 2019.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure released a statement Tuesday explaining he would not take a loan to pay the county's bills during the state budget impasse. He urged legislators to adopt a budget and restore the flow of funds.

A man who scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and used beer bottles filled with gasoline to ignite the occupied Pennsylvania governor’s mansion pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted murder and other charges.

Easton will have to rely on tax revenue anticipation and grant revenue anticipation notes to keep the city functioning as the state stretches over 100 days into its budget stalemate.

The Walking Purchase, a 1737 land grab perpetrated by William Penn's sons, shaped the Lehigh Valley as residents know it today. But, the land wasn’t actually purchased, as the name might suggest — it was swindled from the Lenni-Lenape.

More than 130 people attended the panel, which focused on efforts across the state to tamp down on light pollution, not only to benefit star-gazers, but for fireflies and migrating birds, too.

Lehigh Valley Political Pulse host Tom Shortell wants to hear from you. Readers are encouraged to submit questions through the link in the article. They may be addressed on a future episode of the program.

As the system moves off the Carolina coast and begins to strengthen and lift northward, impacts farther inland — particularly in the Lehigh Valley — are not expected to be overly hazardous.