State & Regional News

The state Department of Environmental Protection announced $1 million in grants to promote environmental education and stewardship across the state. Four Lehigh Valley programs received funding.

The LVPC on Thursday hosted a workshop, “Planning + Pizza: Deploying Electric Vehicle Infrastructure,” aiming to collect feedback about where best to deploy EV infrastructure throughout the region.

Overall, 31 of the region’s 35 major climate sites were wetter than normal, with 22 of them experiencing one of their 20 wettest May 1-15 periods. Allentown took the top spot, experiencing its wettest May 1-15 ever.

The Lehigh Valley's public transit system says it will have to cut service by 20 percent and boost fares by 25 percent without additional state funding — something that Gov. Josh Shapiro has called for but that lawmakers will have to approve.

Tuesday, May 20, is Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania. Several high-profile local races are on the ballot in Lehigh and Northampton counties. Check out our procrastinator's guide and Q&A.

Drivers who have been ticketed for school bus camera violations say the process to contest them needs to change. PennDOT said thousands of citations across seven Lehigh Valley school districts are still awaiting hearings.

Republicans Roger MacLean and Mike Welsh have spent less than $8,000 combined on their race. Meanwhile, their Democratic opponent Josh Siegel has amassed more than $180,000 in his war chest. The primary election is Tuesday, May 20.

Twelve billboards have been posted in and around the city, several at high-traffic areas like Route 22, Interstate 78 and the turnpike. They’re part of a campaign from More Perfect Union.

The funding — totaling $3.4 million across 23 counties — is part of the Fresh Food Financing Initiative. It follows the cancellation of $13 million in contracted funding through the USDA’s Local Food Purchasing Assistance program.

Right on the heels of Friday’s warm front, the Lehigh Valley will see a cold front move in Saturday. Rounds of storms are expected both days, forecasters say.

Dangerous heat is expected Monday through Wednesday in the Lehigh Valley, with concerns of excessive rainfall on Thursday before much cooler air arrives.

Excessive humidity and extremely warm temperatures have prompted a heat advisory for the Lehigh Valley on Friday. On top of the heat, there's a risk of severe weather and an unsettled weekend ahead.

Members passed a resolution supporting a Pennsylvania House bill to legalize marijuana and Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed budget, which projects millions in taxes from the move. Two former cops on council voted against the measure.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, said Congress should intervene if the Trump administration fails to release details of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The sex offender and financier's death in custody in 2019 has sparked years of speculation and conspiracy theories.

Judge Steven Hippler ordered Bryan Kohberger to serve life in prison without parole for killing four University of Idaho students. Friends and relatives delivered powerful statements of love, anguish and condemnation at the sentencing hearing Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, the Lehigh Valley's first-term Republican lawmaker, will hold his second telephone town hall Wednesday evening. It comes after Congress passed the controversial One Big Beautiful Bill and amid turmoil over the Jeffrey Epstein fallout.

Northampton County officials announced a new agreement with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 13 Local 1265, officials announced Monday, giving some court employees, 911 center supervisors and workers at the Juvenile Justice Center an 11% raise over the next three years.

Nearly 100,000 passengers flew through Lehigh Valley International Airport last month — the best June on record, airport authority officials said.

Allentown was the only Lehigh Valley city to be awarded funding through this round of the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant. The program aims to improve air quality in communities through cleaner fuel transportation infrastructure

The National Weather Service said the next couple of days will feature “the most pleasant weather of the summer" in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.

An annual pest across Pennsylvania, corn earworms can cause damage to both sweet and field corn, cutting into farmers’ profits and home-gardeners’ yields. They've been reported in the Lehigh Valley.

Lehigh County Redevelopment Authority is looking for a developer to lead the project to revitalize the Whitehall Township property.