State & Regional News

The Pennsylvania Department of State is starting a new office to help train county election workers, Pa. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. It also plans to update its guidance for logic and accuracy testing that could have caught issues with the Northampton County voting machines.

Lafayette College will host the 2024 vice presidential debate this coming September, drawing the world's eyes to its Easton campus. Nicole Hurd, the college's president, hopes it will be an opportunity to highlight the liberal arts school and the greater Easton community.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg passed nearly three dozen laws last week in a final burst of action as they held their last voting session of the year.

Nippon Steel is set to pay more than $14 billion to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel in a deal that Rep. Susan Wild said is “really kind of heartbreaking."

Pennsylvania's gas tax– the highest in the nation in 2023 – will drop from $0.611/gallon to $0.576/gallon and will remain in place through 2024.

It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.

Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott said these types of incentives will help to attract “the best and brightest” candidates to serve the city.

More than three dozen projects in the Valley were awarded grants, receiving about 7% of the total funding awarded. Statewide, $335 million in grants were announced Wednesday.

Driven by $8.1 billion in manufacturing, the Lehigh Valley's Gross Domestic Product grew to a record $50.2 billion in 2022. The region's economy now ranks above Vermont and Wyoming.

State Sen. Lisa Boscola said it's a fallacy if the U.S. Postal Service thinks it can save up to $7 million by shipping outgoing mail from the Lehigh Valley to Harrisburg for processing without cutting jobs. On Monday, she called on USPS to do further analysis of its plans.

Federal prosecutors dismissed criminal charges alleging Tighe Scott assaulted police outside the U.S. Capitol Building. The decision stems from President Donald Trump's executive order pardoning more than 1,000 people convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and all ongoing dismissing ongoing prosecutions.

This week's episode of Political Pulse examines how politicians utilize digital spaces to communicate with voters here in the Lehigh Valley and around the country.

The wind chill was minus 11 on Tuesday morning, and a cold weather advisory remains in effect in the Lehigh Valley until Wednesday. With those temperatures, we're more like Buffalo and colder than parts of Siberia.

The National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory for the Lehigh Valley and other parts of eastern Pennsylvania through noon Wednesday, with wind chills dropping to as low as 13 degrees below zero.

Bethlehem Co-op Market wants members and future patrons to keep the faith. A summer opening is now the target.

Trump overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and a pair of assassination attempts to win another term in the White House. He's expected to issue executive orders to clamp down on border crossings, increase fossil fuel development and end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government.

Allentown City Council unanimously voted last week to add Juneteenth — celebrated on June 19 — to the city's list of paid holidays for full-time non-bargaining employees.

Rachelle Carmenucci had Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter visit her Pittsburgh home in 1979. After being thrust into the media spotlight, the Carters flew her to the White House for lunch.

While the snow took a few hours to start piling up, by mid-afternoon it was falling at rates of two inches per hour in some parts of the Lehigh Valley. Dangerous cold will follow the snow, forecasters say.

Lehigh Valley Health Network and the Easton Area Community Center’s St. Anthony’s Youth Center received state grants to support violence prevention and out-of-school programs. The $1.1 million in funding will enhance community efforts to reduce violence and grow youth development initiatives.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering the eastern hellbender for protections under the federal Endangered Species Act. Find out why habitat loss and the pet trade are contributing to population declines.

If predictions stay true, the Lehigh Valley would be on the higher end of the 4- to 7-inch range of snowfall. PennDOT and the PA Turnpike Commission have set vehicle and road restrictions.