State & Regional News

This week on Political Pulse, Tom and Chris discuss the latest trends emerging from science-based polls to break down local, state and national campaigns and issues.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild and state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, both seeking the Lehigh Valley's seat in the next Congress, each cast themselves as a moderate facing a radical in a debate Sunday.

SpaceX’s capsule Polaris Dawn splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico in the predawn darkness early Sunday. Returning to Earth were two SpaceX engineers, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman of the Lehigh Valley. Isaacman became only the 264th person to perform a spacewalk.

A Lehigh University graduate last year recorded a new species of mushroom at Wildlands Conservancy's South Mountain Preserve.

Monarch butterflies are starting to migrate through the Lehigh Valley. An annual tagging program, held at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, helps conservation efforts.

What feels like a local housing crisis is actually a “global phenomenon” across all income levels, state Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Lehigh, said at a housing summit Friday.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on procedural grounds that a lower court should not have taken up the case because it did not draw in the election boards in all 67 counties.

Called the Recovery in Nature initiative, two state departments have joined forces to create regional-specific partnerships to bolster substance use recovery efforts while strengthening all residents’ connection to nature.

Folks of older age and those with mobility troubles may already have enough of a hard time getting where they need to go, so a local panel is brainstorming how to get federal funding to make day-to-day transportation a smoother ride for them.

Democrats said they wanted Vice President Kamala Harris to provide more details about her policies while Republicans acknowledge she presents a more serious challenge to former President Donald Trump.

Dr. Rachel Levine said she would continue to promote science and fact-based COVID-19 guidance if confirmed to be Assistant U.S. Secretary of Health during a hearing before a U.S. Senate committee Thursday.

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman is calling for reform to jail sentences of life without parole.

In a divided Senate this past weekend, Pennsylvania’s split delegation stood together. Both Democrat Bob Casey and Republican Pat Toomey voted to convict former President Trump. The Senate ultimately voted to acquit.

A Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court case is being called the first of its kind, challenging the fate of inmates serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Pennsylvania has received more than 2 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine but, fewer than a million residents have received their first shot.

Improving legal services for female veterans is the focus of a new law spearheaded by Lehigh Valley Congresswoman Susan Wild.

Pennsylvania is one of only three states where voters choose judges through elections. But some say a new bill in the General Assembly would change the way judges are elected and subject the judiciary to partisan control.

A Harrisburg woman charged in connection with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has been released from custody with restrictions.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services released its Racial Equity Report that examines inherent racism in state aid programs and states how DHS plans to promote diversity in its own ranks.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) is looking forward to Democrat Joe Biden taking over the Oval Office but says the Senate will have its work cut out this week when it will resume the impeachment proceedings for former President Donald Trump.

Pennsylvania officials announced Jan. 19 that the state is expanding eligibility for the coronavirus vaccine to include anyone over 65.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr Rachel Levine is poised to become the first openly transgender federal official. She’s been tapped by the Biden team for the number two spot at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.