State & Regional News

Applications open Monday for the 2024 Lehigh Valley Greenways Mini Grant Program and are accepted until 4 p.m. March 8. The grants are earmarked for conservation efforts in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

More than 160,000 Pennsylvania students are enrolled in brick-and-mortar and cyber charter schools, with the latter’s enrollment having ballooned in recent years.

Jay Bryson, chief economist for Wells Fargo’s Corporate and Investment Bank, told Lehigh Valley business leaders Wednesday that he expects the economy will lose some steam in the coming months, but avoid a recession.

Christopher Fitzgerald was shot and killed near the Temple University campus in Philadelphia while working as a university police officer in February 2023.

A 605-pound black bear harvested in the Lehigh Valley has ranked one of the largest in the state to be bagged during its most recent season, and was the sixth-heaviest bear in Pennsylvania for 2023.

The Ready to Learn Block Grant money can be put toward a variety of uses, including the expansion of a school district’s social and health services, and even professional development for educators.

Lawmakers announced the $40 million infusion that they said will support a new Northside Logistics and Cargo Complex. It will include a new dock facility and direct truck-to-aircraft loading apron at LVIA.

The team behind Lehigh University's "Community Mapping for Environmental Justice” project is creating an interactive map of litter in Bethlehem. Officials said the collaborative effort aims to improve the health and well-being of the entire community.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Registration is open for the Nurture Nature Center's Youth Climate Summit of the Lehigh Valley, a free event April 19 and 20. The summit aims to engage middle and high school students in climate change issues, as well as seek solutions.

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.