State & Regional News

The mud-colored salamander–also known as a snot otter, mud devil, and Allegheny alligator–can grow to be two feet long, and can live up to 30 years.

In the wake of a jail escapes in Chester and Warren counties, state Republican lawmakers are planning to introduce a set of bills to improve county jail security, infrastructure and staffing.

Authorities in Pennsylvania said they captured escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante after hunting for him nearly two weeks.

The state's Basic Education Funding Commission held its first meeting in Allentown to collect testimony on fixing Pennsylvania's school funding formula after a landmark court ruling declaring it unconstitutional.

State Senate Republicans added vouchers back to the budget while cutting Level Up funding for Allentown and Bethlehem Area school districts.

Leaf-peeper season is right around the corner. Here's when to be on the lookout for pops of brilliant yellows, oranges and reds across the landscape.

PA State Police said the department was pursuing Danelo Souza Cavalcante in Chester County and believe he's now armed.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its report of the most challenging places to live with asthma. The release coincides with peak asthma season in September.

Sunday could be mostly a washout, with showers and the potential for heavy rainfall in the forecast throughout the day. Things are looking up, though, for later in the week.

The manhunt for Danelo Cavalcante, a convicted killer who escaped from Chester County Prison, is in its 11th day. Pennsylvania State Police said overnight that Cavalcante was spotted in the Phoenixville area and now is operating a white van.

An experimental "gut check" test can tell us more about the bacteria that live inside us. By studying the way the microbial populations change over time, researchers think they may have a new tool for monitoring health.

Audie Cornish speaks with Michele Dunne, director of the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East for analysis of the latest events in Egypt.

The Statue of Liberty reopens July 4, for the first time since Hurricane Sandy damaged the statue's pedestal and flooded park service offices. We look at what it took to reopen the iconic statue — and why nearby Ellis Island remains closed indefinitely.

After years of food shortages and drought, in a country that was once the breadbasket of southern Africa, Zimbabwe's crippled economy is recovering — after adopting the U.S. dollar as its currency. But memories of the violent elections in 2008 are fueling fears about security. The disputed vote ended in a power-sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe and his main opposition rival. The Zimbabwean leader has now proclaimed July 31 as election day. New York-based Human Rights Watch warns there's potential for more violence — unless key security and other reforms are brought in before the vote.

When it comes to selling Texas Latinos on the Republican Party, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz would seem like a natural. But even though he is the son of a Cuban refugee, Cruz is much closer to his Tea Party supporters' hard line on immigration than he is to the Republicans who are urging a more accommodating position for the sake of the party's future.

One day after Egypt's military deposed the nation's first democratically elected president, it began a crackdown on Mohammed Morsi's Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.

Homemade sodas are hot these days: Americans bought more than 1.2 million home carbonators last year. For the Fourth of July, we asked mixologist Gina Chersevani to help us tap into the trend with a soda float inspired by Independence Day.

A young college grad asks an economist for advice.

Consumers already have an abundance of choice when it comes to entertainment and news subscriptions. But analysts say it's still early days for all the digital subscription offerings we'll have to pay for.

President Obama lost Texas by more than 1 million votes last year. But Democrats believe their fortunes in the state may soon be changing, thanks to demographics and a new organizational push.

Matthew Burnett wanted his clothing line to be "Made in the USA." But he decided it was too difficult to find information on U.S. manufacturers. So Burnett and his business partners created Maker's Row, a website where people who design things can find people who make things.

Some 15 states are expected to consider giving advanced practice nurses more independence and authority this year. It's part of a push to meet increased demand for primary care as more people get insurance under the health law.