State & Regional News

Temperatures climbed well into the upper 80s this week in the Lehigh Valley, teasing that classic summer milestone — the first 90-degree day of the year.

Eileen Miller, whose son Paul Miller was killed in a collision by a distracted driver, on Friday spoke on a piece of legislation that bans the use of handheld devices while driving in Pennsylvania.

The $13 million contract was with the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program. A pandemic-era program, commonwealth farmers were paid to supply local food banks with fresh produce.

Governor Josh Shapiro, joined by local and state politicians, spoke out in support of mass transit investments for the betterment of the Commonwealth, at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hecktown Oaks Thursday.

Excitement at Target, Best Buy, and GameStop for the release of Switch 2, Nintendo's newest game console. While fans in New York City and Philadelphia reported longer lines, some local gamers were lucky enough to buy one before it sold out on Thursday.

An Allentown woman was charged with possession of a quarter pound of synthetic opioid fentanyl, District Attorney Stephen Baratta announced Wednesday.

Political Pulse host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick discuss the implications of the Republican tax and spending package recently passed in the US House.

Smoke drifted over the Great Lakes on Monday night and pushed east, the National Weather Service said, with forecasters warning it will result in smokier skies for the Lehigh Valley and large swaths of the eastern U.S. on Tuesday.

More than 120 people showed up for the weekly "Mondays with Mackenzie" demonstration outside one of the congressman's offices on Monday. It was the first of the protests since he cast an essential vote for President Donald Trump's signature policy bill.

The National Weather Service said the haze could be more apparent toward the late afternoon and evening hours, particularly at sunset.

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.