State & Regional News

Pennsylvania Master Naturalist is partnering with the Lehigh County Conservation District to host a Master Naturalist Volunteer training. The course aims to bolster local conservation efforts.

A Montour County environmental educator, arborist and musician is attempting to climb the tallest tree at the highest point in each of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties.

One person who consumed raw milk from Apple Valley Creamery in East Berlin and became ill, officials said. The milk is sold in three Lehigh Valley locations.

The annual scholastic competition combines classroom learning and outdoor activities to engage students in environmental science. The state competition is scheduled for May 22 in Mifflinburg.

An Upper Macungie man has been arrested on charges of illegal possession of drugs and weapons, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, firearms, and explosive devices Wednesday morning.

PennDOT intends to begin a $91.6 million reconstruction project on the Route 309-Tilghman Street interchange later this year. The interchange saw more than 200 crashes between 2018 and 2022, according to PennDOT crash data.

Carbon County officials on Thursday will sign on to a partnership with Northampton, officials announced. Their goal is to bolster farmland preservation efforts.

Easton has secured $930,118 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside program funding to replace the deteriorating Abbott Street Bridge, Senator Lisa Boscola announced this week.

Avian influenza, called bird flu, is threatening poultry and dairy cows across the country. Now, local doctors are monitoring the situation closely because it could mutate and become more serious for humans.

Easton's South Side and Allentown have been welcomed into Blueprint Communities, a program focused on training local officials to help foster improvements in local communities' quality of life.

After Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in the south leaving many without power, PPL Electric Utilities announced linemen have taken to the South to assist with restoration efforts.

Mayor Matt Tuerk said he is preparing the city's 2025 budget without any hike in property taxes. Tuerk is expected to present his 2025 budget Oct. 10.

Politics reporter Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick examine the results from the latest Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in this week's Political Pulse. It found Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in a virtual tie for Pennsylvania's 19 Electoral College votes.

Local Red Cross volunteers are in Florida helping with Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The Lehigh Valley chapter's executive director says this one is different than other storm system cleanups he's witnessed.

Former Gov. Tom Corbett and two former federal judges said that petitions for recounts and other litigation could cause some Pennsylvania counties to miss the deadline to certify results of the November election.

As of Monday afternoon, mile markers 94.2-97.13 of the D&L Trail in East Penn Township remain closed because of a sinkhole.

The state Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public hearing from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in Bethlehem to take public testimony about Keystone Cement Co.’s hazardous waste permit renewal application.

Northampton County’s annual Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Event was held Saturday. More than 1,700 residents registered.

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg and mental health experts advocated for an increased investment in school-based health clinics at a news conference at Hays Elementary School in Allentown on Friday.

With nearly 98% of the city already built out, city officials and partners have had to get creative in bringing forth potential solutions to the broader housing crisis.

What can the Lehigh Valley expect as we head into meteorological fall? Experts have given their long-range outlooks for both temperatures and precipitation, and also weighed in on La Niña.

A fall appreciation event gave those at Miller-Keystone Blood Center the chance to say “thank you” to those who give blood. It’s the first time they’ve been able to host an event like this since the pandemic.