State & Regional News

Lehigh and Northampton counties are in a drought watch due to persistently dry weather. The Lehigh County Authority is asking residents to start conserving.

Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will rally supporters in the Lehigh Valley on Monday, the final day of her campaign.

A red flag warning is issued when the risk of fire danger is highest. The warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Friday.

A tour group consisting of Europeans interested in the American political system stopped in Northampton County to see the spectacle of election season this week.

"A Community Conversation: Protecting Your Vote" aired Wednesday on PBS39 and will be rebroadcast at 6 p.m. Thursday. It's hosted by LehighValleyNews.com politics reporter Tom Shortell.

The U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday showed all of the Lehigh Valley in either “moderate” or “severe” drought.

More than 2.1 million Pennsylvania voters have been approved for a mail-in ballot this election, down from the 3 million ballots requested in 2020. Democrats saw the steepest drop, allowing Republicans to increase their share of mail-in ballots.

Donald Trump held a campaign rally before a packed house at the PPL Center in Allentown — a city with a large Puerto Rican population. He said he had done more for Puerto Ricans than any president in American history.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey held a campaign event at Cedar Crest College, urging support for women’s reproductive rights. He highlighted the need for legislation that ensures access to fertility treatments and family planning.

Thousands came to downtown Allentown for former President Donald Trump's campaign rally — exactly one week before Election Day.

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.

The Secret Service said it killed the suspected shooter, who attacked from an elevated position outside the rally grounds in Butler, north of Pittsburgh. One spectator was killed and two were critically injured after the attacker fired "multiple shots," according to the Secret Service.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory and excessive heat watch for the Lehigh Valley and southeastern Pennsylvania. The heat advisory will be in effect from Sunday into Monday. Then the temperature really turns up, with heat indexes in triple digits.

The 2024 fundraising efforts comes on the heels of the most successful campaign the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley has ever had. It raised a record-breaking $25 million last year.

The position, budgeted for one year after the annual process turned contentious, focuses on creating and facilitating sustainability initiatives while capturing grant funding to cover the cost of related projects.