State & Regional News

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.

A six-month investigation found the state’s “competency” review system is so broken it often extends incarceration, which can exacerbate mental health issues.

Another social-media fueled challenge has spurred a rise in the theft of Kia and Hyundai vehicles in Pennsylvania, but has the trend caught on in the Lehigh Valley?

Reporting an increase in violent incidents in the state's prisons in 2022, the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association has suggested that staffing needs to increase, and policies need to be reviewed to help make the prisons safer.

U.S. Army Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert died in an attack on troops in Kuwait. His killer was sentenced to death. For Seifert's parents in the Lehigh Valley, the passage of time hasn't eased the loss. 'He was a much-wanted child and a very loved young man,' says his mother Helen.

Officials say some people have received a text message asking for EBT card information and claiming that their card is blocked.

From a stall program in Reading, Pa., to tracking real-time parking spot availability in Arlington, Va., these are the ways cities are addressing their own parking woes.

Pennsylvania health officials announced a new plan Tuesday, May 12, to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes and long term care facilities,

Many sectors of the economy have been halted or changed by the coronavirus pandemic, and environmental research is no exception.

Democratic Governor Tom Wolf has come under fire from some Republican leaders for moving too slow to reopen the state. Now a local Democrat has joined the chorus, asking the state to lift some restrictions in the Lehigh Valley quote “immediately.”

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf fired back at county officials and other local leaders today who’ve said they’ll reopen early, despite orders to remain closed and keep full stay-at-home lockdown in place.

Most deaths from COVID-19 in Pennsylvania are among people living in nursing and personal care homes.

State officials say that reports of price gouging continue to rise. The attorney general’s office says it has received 5,000 tips from consumers since the pandemic hit Pennsylvania. WLVR’s Tyler Pratt reports on how the state plans to enforce the law.

Thirteen western counties, comprising nearly 2.7 million residents and most of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, will see relief from Gov. Tom Wolf’s most restrictive pandemic orders on movement and businesses this Friday, May 15.

The current moratorium was scheduled to end Monday but the governor has extended it to July 10. WLVR’s Tyler Pratt reports state officials are asking landlords to be patient.

Protection from evictions for renters from the state may be ending, in some areas as early as next week. Chloe Nouvelle reports on what this could mean for tenants in the Lehigh Valley.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf says he has a plan to create more jobs in the state while also helping to fight the spread of coronavirus.

Pennsylvania’s primary election is four weeks from Tuesday, May 5, but many questions remain about how to conduct a “fair and free election” during a pandemic.

A coalition of advocacy groups filed a lawsuit late Monday over Pennsylvania’s mailed ballot return deadlines, seeking an extra week for voters to send them back.