State & Regional News

Highs in the 30s and lows mainly in the 20s are forecast for the weekend and well into next week, which could be jarring on the heels of one our warmest Novembers on record.

More shoppers are using ‘buy now, pay later’ plans heading into Black Friday and the holiday season, as the ability to spread out payments looks attractive at a time when Americans still feel the lingering effect of inflation and already have record-high credit card debt. Experts say the short-term loans can lead consumers to overextend themselves and warn that those who use credit cards for the service face higher interest expenses.

With no quick cure for the fast-moving, but slow-to-kill disease, experts said American beech trees could be functionally extinct throughout the state within 10 to 15 years.

Democrats in Pennsylvania lost its 19 presidential electoral votes, a U.S. Senate seat, three other statewide races, and two congressional seats.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, will close her third term in Congress on Jan. 3 after being defeated in the election by Republican Ryan Mackenzie. From the inside, Wild has been a witness to major swings in American politics in her six years in Washington.

In a release Monday, the PUC said prices would adjust December 1. That means all customers will see changes in the price-to-compare from competitive suppliers against the rate of the default utility.

Guidance “continues to trend towards a warmer solution for Thursday’s storm,” the National Weather Service said, meaning it's going to be a wet, not white, Thanksgiving.

May, an immature female broad-winged hawk, migrated through Hurricane Milton in Florida last month. The hurricane made landfall Oct. 9 near Siesta Key, Fla., as a devastating Category 3 storm.

Forecasters have turned their attention to the end of next week, saying most model guidance indicates a storm system developing and affecting the East Coast — including the mid-Atlantic —around Thanksgiving Day and into Black Friday.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey conceded to Republican challenger David McCormick on Thursday night. The Pennsylvania Department of State ended the automatic recount in the unusually close race since the result was no longer contested.

The Democratic-controlled House passed legislation that would let counties get a head start counting mail-in ballots. But Senate Republicans are unlikely to pass it without an unlikely compromise on voter ID provisions.

After a lengthy battle with a local zoning office, neonatal kitten rescue Foxy's Cradle has found a new way to continue their mission to save young felines: a mobile kitten unit, which was unveiled at a Slatington fire rescue on Sunday, May 5.

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.