State & Regional News

Hundreds of active wildfires across Canada – with a significant portion burning out of control – have sent smoke drifting into the U.S. again, including the Lehigh Valley.

Lehigh Country Controller Mark Pinsley criticized President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie for gutting the social safety net and Democratic leaders for failing to offer effective resistance.

58 consecutive years of touring and no talk of slowing down for this group of musicians who love their work.

Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites has unveiled a variety of Musikfest programming for the whole family, on display at the Colonial Industrial Quarter in Historic Bethlehem.

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.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, introduced the bill in 2023 after a student brought a knife to Schnecksville Elementary School. Parents didn't learn of the incident until a week later.

The speaker series, which runs on select Thursdays through March, focuses on engaging residents about the local environment, as well as conservation efforts.

As the federal government shutdown drags on into its second month, hundreds of flights Friday are being canceled at 40 airports across the country. Regional airports, such as LVIA, could be affected, too.

The hourlong program by PBS39 comes in the wake of the closure of a homeless encampment along Jordan Creek in Allentown and the scheduled shutdown of a separate one along the Lehigh River in Bethlehem.

Current conditions, along with the continued drying of fine fuels, "could support the rapid spread of any fires that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to control," the National Weather Service said.

With an unusually politicized Supreme Court retention question on the ballot Tuesday, Lehigh Valley voters overwhelmingly backed Democratic candidates.

Mackenzie, along with officials from Wildlands Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, on Wednesday morning hiked a portion of the property, lauding the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund that helped preserve it.

Following a wind advisory Wednesday night, forecasters say the Lehigh Valley will see a fairly active pattern continuing through the weekend and into early next week as temperatures tumble.

Democrat Sarah Fevig may have spent a record amount for a single county commissioner candidate in her campaign. Meanwhile, Zach Cole-Borghi handily defeated his opponent despite the specter of criminal charges.

All three of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices who sought reelection Tuesday will get another term. The result shapes the makeup of the seven-member court through the next presidential election in 2028.

People came to the polls mindful of the state Supreme Court retention vote — and with a wide variety of issues on their minds, from the federal government shutdown to abortion policy and access to health care.

Here's all you need to know about the 2025 general election in the Lehigh Valley, where scores of local races are on the ballot — including county and municipal offices, plus school boards and Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention questions getting an unusual amount of attention.