State & Regional News

The tract, spread across Penn Forest and Kidder townships, includes Mud Run, a key tributary of the Lehigh River. It was purchased through a $1 million grant from the Open Space Institute.

Allentown students took part in STEM activities, including stepping into an airplane cockpit, when Captain Barrington Irving flew into town with some hands-on critical thinking activities from his Flying Classroom.

Mark Pinsley is the fourth Democrat to challenge Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie in the Lehigh Valley's battleground district in the 2026 midterm.

The Lehigh Valley has a history of flooding, and climate change could be increasing the risk. With federal funding cut or on the chopping block, officials warn the Valley could be left unprepared.

While the risk area covers a significant portion of the region, the greatest flash flood threat will depend on a number of factors, the National Weather Service said early Thursday.

The National Weather Service has upgraded its flood watch for the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas, in addition to severe weather and heat watches.

Latina leaders and entrepreneurs discussed their personal and professional challenges at the annual PA Latina Women Conference, held at the Univest Public Media Center.

After devastating flash flooding in Texas earlier this month claimed the lives of at least 135 people, scientists and experts are warning similar conditions could happen in the Lehigh Valley.

Union Pacific is seeking to buy Norfolk Southern in a $85 billion deal that would create the first transcontinental railroad in the United States, and potentially trigger a final wave of rail mergers across the country.

This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick discuss how President Trump is attempting to redefine citizenship, including challenges to century-old legal findings.

An influx of residents and warehouses have made highways in Lehigh and Northampton counties more crowded. An analysis by LehighValleyNews.com finds some stretches of road have experienced increases of 40% to 50% in traffic volume, with Route 33 overtaking Interstate 78 as the region's second-busiest highway.

A recent bald eagle rehabilitation and release is a bright spot amid a dangerous time for bald eagles in the Lehigh Valley and the rest of the commonwealth. Bird flu continues to threaten wild bird populations, causing more than a dozen bald eagles to be euthanized across Pennsylvania.

A five-part series this week will explore traffic and transportation issues in the Lehigh Valley. Increasing traffic volume, dangerous driving and insufficient infrastructure are among the topics examined.

Said LANTA planning and scheduling manager A.J. Jordan, “LANTA Planning Department is consistently working to make sure changes impact riders as little as possible."

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie visited Ward Transport & Logistics Corp. in Easton, where he got feedback about federal regulations on truck drivers and concerns about Pennsylvania's emission standards.

Justin Simmons, the former Republican state representative, was among three people who filed nomination papers last week to seek the party's nomination in the May 20 primary election.

The first-of-its-kind report, “Wildlife Corridors: How reconnecting habitats is protecting Pennsylvania’s native species," highlights 10 innovative wildlife corridor projects around the state.

Democratic VIPs including U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, DNC Chair Ken Martin and former U.S. Rep. Susan Wild attended the town hall at Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Thursday night. The evening came with a rebuke to attendees from the church pastor.

At a virtual town hall Thursday, U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, said he did not support cuts to Medicare or Social Security, called for peace in Ukraine, and gently pushed back on how the Trump administration handled cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture officials say they're owed more than $3 million in outstanding reimbursements from the federal government. The lawsuit includes six other organizations and five major cities.

Organizers with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Democratic National Congressional Committee and several other groups invited U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie to a town hall event Thursday over proposed Medicaid cuts. Instead, the first-term Republican will hold his own telephone town hall.

The spring equinox officially arrived at 5:01 a.m. Thursday, but the upcoming pattern is cold, blustery and rainy for the Lehigh Valley and the rest of the region.