State & Regional News

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, state parks across Pennsylvania were inundated with visitors.

State officials late last month announced the theme for this year’s annual tick-themed art contest, “Protect. Check. Remove.” Last year, there were no winners in the Lehigh Valley.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Republican congressional candidates Maria Montero and Ryan Mackenzie criticized U.S. Rep. Susan Wild after she said Carbon County "drank the Trump Kool-Aid" on a conference call with prominent Pennsylvania Democrats.

News Director Jen Rehill talks with journalists Tom Shortell and Brittany Sweeney.

More than $2 million was allocated to nine organizations across Pennsylvania to fund various research efforts, all linked to the state’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry.

Campaign finance reports show Republican Kevin Dellicker outraised the rest of the GOP field combined in his bid for PA-7. But Democratic incumbent Susan Wild raised twice as much as all of the Republicans put together.

Two Lehigh Valley’s representatives in the state house have recently proposed legislation to make affordable housing more accessible.

Under a proposal by Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania would cap tuition and fees at state-owned colleges to $1,000 a semester for in-state students from households earning up to the median income.

The number of people developing cancer is on the rise, but the survival rate is also going up according to the American Cancer Society. Doctors believe there are two contributing factors.

It's the third time the Delaware River has won the title. Previous wins were in 2002 and 2017.

The Lehigh Valley will begin the weekend under a winter weather advisory in effect from noon Saturday until 1 a.m. Sunday.

Congressman Ryan Mackenzie has accused Northampton County of not cooperating with ICE, while County Executive Lamont McClure has argued the legislator does not grasp the complexity of the situation.

Some salt sheds across the region could be down to their final grains, officials said Thursday, as reports of a rock salt shortage spread through the region and well beyond.

Decadent chocolate, fresh strawberries and nutty pistachio: Local businesses are latching on to a chocolate-y social media trend.

Easton Police Chief Carl Scalzo spoke out against a proposed "welcoming city" ordinance, saying it could be seen as a beacon for criminal activity in the city and make police officers' jobs more difficult.

The state's dairy industry has officially reached "HPAI-free" status after rigorous testing in Pennsylvania dairy cattle for highly pathogenic avian influenza. Other states have detected bird flu in their cattle though, so the state will continue to monitor and test cattle.

Because of the timing, the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory from 4 p.m. until midnight for total snow and sleet accumulations of a coating to one inch and ice accumulations around a light glaze.

On this week's episode of Political Pulse, Tom Shortell and Chris Borick talk about local traffic development and how residents feel about traffic issues.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wants to know how a former Allentown vice officer was hired by the U.S. Center for SafeSport despite sex-crime allegations in his past.

Back-to-back storms will roll through the Lehigh Valley this week, but forecasters say if you're a snow purist, don't expect much in the way of significant accumulation.

Local officials in places like Lowhill Township want more tools to help them control industrial development and traffic in their borders.