State & Regional News

A rockslide shut down Route 611 north of Portland, Pa., in early December. Last week, PennDOT said the road isn't expected to reopen for another 7 months. On the heels of pandemic losses, many merchants said they don't know if they can withstand this hit.

A retrospective of Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf's years in office reveals the challenges he faced.

Alivia Giles, a Hellertown resident, competed against her family and friends in rabbit showing at the 2023 Pennsylvania Farm Show is Harrisburg.

Tom Shortell and Brad Klein go behind the scenes on Shortell's reporting following Pat Browne's nomination to Pennsylvania secretary of revenue.

State legislators were set to address extending the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse — a bill that had been passed in the last session — but, partisan bickering stalled the move. Local Democratic legislators explain what happened.

Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro plans to nominate former Lehigh County Sen. Pat Browne, who left office last month, as the commonwealth's Secretary of Revenue.

The man accused in the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students appeared in court Thursday. Bryan Kohberger has yet to enter a plea and is waiting to learn whether prosecutors in the high-profile case will pursue the death penalty.

As the ranking Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild could review complaints filed against Rep. George Santos.

A computer outage at the Federal Aviation Administration brought flights to a standstill across the U.S. on Wednesday, with hundreds of delays quickly cascading through the system at airports nationwide.

The busy road has been closed since early December, when heavy rain washed out a roadside rock facing and sent boulders onto the blacktop. A protracted closure is expected.

Projects in Lehigh and Northampton counties were approved to get state funding by the Commonwealth Financing Authority on Monday, Feb. 24. Funding for the roadway upgrades in Northampton County alone amounted to more than $1.5 million, with a project in Lehigh County bumping that total to more than $2 million.

There's been another attempt to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.

The Lehigh Valley's Ukrainian community voiced anger and disbelief Sunday as the Trump administration rebukes Ukraine and aligns itself with Russia. A prayer service and town hall is set for Tuesday night.

President Trump's 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, which are set to take effect on March 12, will have an impact on Lehigh Valley breweries — and likely consumers, too.

Flu rates are up nationally and especially in Pennsylvania. Lehigh and Northampton counties are among the Top Ten counties with influenza cases for this year's respiratory virus season, which runs through September.

Federal agents were at Northampton County Prison on Friday morning to apprehend an inmate upon his release. The man was alleged to be in the country illegally. The level of cooperation between ICE agents and the county has come under attack by U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.

Thousands of the Lehigh Valley's wild and domestic birds have been infected with avian flu. However, risk to songbirds remains low.

House Republicans want to slash federal spending by $2 trillion and are eying cuts and restrictions to the $880 billion Medicaid program. Demonstrators say they'll keep applying pressure to U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, to oppose such plans.

Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott said her department would remain “laser-focused on trying to provide the best quality public safety services to our community” — even with continuing uncertainty out of Washington, D.C.

Three Bethlehem residents face hundreds of charges related to a scheme that involves over 130 victims in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas. If you believe you’ve been a victim of such a scheme, Bethlehem police ask you to call 610-997-7682.

On this week's episode of Political Pulse, Tom Shortell and Chris Borick discuss themes — including immigration — that are starting to carry over into local races.

Readers have expressed interest in light rail or a more robust public transit system, but even improved options have failed to match the convenience they seek.