State & Regional News

Pennsylvania's new $47.6 billion budget sets aside $500 million to improve old industrial sites so new businesses can expand or relocate to the properties.

A text scam is making its rounds again, according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Recipients are urged to not click the link in the text.

Other major goals for both parties fell by the wayside: Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro didn’t get recreational marijuana or a tax on skill games; legislative Democrats didn’t get a minimum wage increase; legislative Republicans didn’t get tax cuts.

Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to visit the Bethlehem Steel General Office Building on Tuesday to promote his $500 million shovel-ready development program. The program was funded in the recently approved $47.6 billion 2024-2025 state budget.

During a visit to Bethlehem Monday, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said the American public needs to know how a gunman was able to access a roof with a clear shot at former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally Saturday.

Gov. John Shapiro last month signed HB 1333 into law, which allows for recycled materials to be used in stuffed toys manufactured and sold statewide. In the Lehigh Valley, one toy manufacturer plans to launch a sustainable line.

The National Weather Service has extended an excessive heat warning now in effect until at least 6 a.m. Wednesday, with dangerously hot conditions and heat index values up to 106 degrees in the Lehigh Valley.

While many Lehigh Valley residents were shocked by an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, it was not exactly surprising in today's divisive, supercharged political climate, they said.

For almost a century, hikers have trekked the Appalachian Trail, the world’s longest hiking-only footpath. A thru-hiker documenting her trek on social media recently stopped in the Lehigh Valley.

Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent hoped the attack on former President Donald Trump would lead to Americans softening the rhetoric that has consumed American election campaigns. A wounded Trump was whisked offstage as one spectator was shot and killed and two others were critically injured. “It’s a sad state of affairs for where our political system is right now,” said one Lehigh Valley lawmaker.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, is looking to force his predecessor, now Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne, to release tax returns about Allentown's Neighborhood Improvement Zone. Browne, who crafted the NIZ, has worked to keep the information confidential for five years.

Funding was awarded through the Lehigh Valley Greenways Mini Grant Program. The program aims to protect and promote natural resources through the implementation of ready-to-go, single-year projects.

The National Weather Service expanded an excessive heat warning into the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, calling for dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 105 degrees. A severe weather threat will follow.

Allentown and Easton have been paired with an engineering company to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. It's Allentown's first time, but Easton's second, in the program.

Major renovations at Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehab, agricultural conservation and bridge maintenance are the major expenditures in Lehigh County’s five-year Capital Plan.

A Lehigh Valley representative introduced two gender affirming care bills recently. One would protect those in the LGBTQ community, the other would protect their medical providers.

As of Tuesday, the Lehigh Valley was suffocating in its thirteenth day of 90-plus temperatures this summer, well on the way to surpassing the average of 14.42 days in the 90s for records that date back to 1912.

State education officials on on Monday visited Bethlehem Area Public Library’s South Side branch, 400 Webster St., to raise awareness about the Summer Food Service Program. Free, nutritious meals are available to those aged 18 and younger — no questions asked.

USA Today nominated Hotel Bethlehem for its sixth consecutive run at the Best Historic Hotel in America title — something the luxury landmark has brought home the past three years in a row. Now it's time for the community to pitch in for the win.

Environmentalists say the Lehigh River is the cleanest its been in 175 years. A river snorkeling program at Lehigh Gap Nature Centers encourages residents to explore their local waterways and track river health.

The Lehigh Valley will face “an active week in terms of weather hazards,” the National Weather Service said early Monday, with the remnants of Beryl expected to impact the area.

In a statement Sunday, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, stopped short of saying President Joe Biden needed to leave the ticket but warned that he could harm candidates in down-ballot races.