State & Regional News

More eyes are on local and international races, especially with billionaire Elon Musk becoming more politically active. Why should anyone care about smaller elections? This week on Political Pulse, Tom Shortell and Chris Borick dive into those details.

Multiple sources tell LehighValleyNews.com that Carol Obando-Derstine is expected to launch a campaign for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. The battleground seat is held by freshman U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, will be one of four House members from battleground districts to take questions from a bipartisan audience and CNN anchors.

The projects were among 81 community projects across Pennsylvania for which Gov. Josh Shapiro announced grants through the Main Street Matters program.

This week, a preview of confirmation hearings scheduled for Wednesday to confirm a new head for NASA. The nominee is well known to the Lehigh Valley.

PennDOT officials say complaints about roadside trash peak in early spring when snow melts, revealing months of litter build-up. State officials estimate there are 500 million pieces of rubbish on Pennsylvania roads — about a third of which are cigarette butts.

Lehigh Valley Public Media comprises LehighValleyNews.com, PBS39 and 91.3 WLVR. Debates to be held in advance of the May 20 primary election include Allentown mayor, Bethlehem mayor, Northampton County executive and Lehigh County executive.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport knew a former police officer was the subject of an internal investigation at his former job but hired him anyway, according to details released this week by Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is looking into the matter.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Pennsylvania rose about 14 cents this week, from $3.261 to $3.405.

Northampton County officials on Thursday announced $100,000 in grants to a handful of food banks and homeless shelters. The grants are a response to cuts to federal food aid programs, County Executive Lamont McClure said.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) is accusing the Trump Administration of hampering postal service deliveries. Casey says he has evidence of large containers of priority mail meant for the Lehigh Valley have been sitting for weeks in a Scranton postal facility.

American financial turmoil was front and center in the first debate between the Lehigh Valley’s candidates for the 7th congressional district.

“There’s something freeing about downsizing, and not having so much stuff to worry about.” In 2018 Sarah Branchide and her boyfriend Alex Lorkowski decided to move out of their three bedroom home in Philadelphia and into: a short school bus.

State lawmakers are temporarily suspending in-person activities at the Capitol after a Republican lawmaker tested positive for the coronavirus.

Two Democratic state lawmakers want to punish any Pennsylvania electoral college member who votes contrary to the popular vote in the presidential election.

New COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Pennsylvania. State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine says she is nervous about the impacts of COVID-19 in the fall and winter seasons.

Governor Tom Wolf is calling on the General Assembly to halt evictions through the end of the year. This week, he asked the legislature to provide relief for struggling families, saying the pandemic has created a lot of hardships for Pennsylvanians.

Lehigh County election officials say they are more prepared for an onslaught of mail-in ballots than they were in the spring. But where you’ll be able to drop off your ballot is still up in the air.

Proceedings are scheduled to begin Tuesday in an election lawsuit filed in Commonwealth Court by the Pennsylvania chapter of the NAACP.

As civil unrest flares up in some cities, the presidential election nears and the coronavirus pandemic enters its sixth month, more Pennsylvanians are arming themselves.

The state has completed baseline testing for COVID-19 at nursing homes, and is planning to expand to other groups.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A Commonwealth Court judge heard nearly 11 hours of testimony Monday in a fast-tracked lawsuit seeking to give voters more time to…