State & Regional News

Three farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in the state’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

Senate Republicans blocked a vote on a bill that would guarantee access to assisted reproductive technology. The effort came a day after Democrats blocked a Republican effort to penalize states that attempt to ban invitro fertilization treatments.

A bill aimed at saving local pharmacies with pharmacy benefit manager, or PBMs, reform was touted in Allentown this week. Pennsylvania State Representative Josh Siegel, who represents Lehigh County, joined State Representative Jessica Benham, who represents Allegheny County, at Allentown Pharmacy.

The grant program would allow schools to recruit students, paraprofessionals and other community members to pursue a career in education. It passed the House with bipartisan support last year but has been stuck in committee in the Senate since then.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan says machine gun conversion devices, also known as Glock switches, are becoming increasingly common in the region. The illegal modifications turn semi-automatic firearms into automatic weapons.

A new report release by the American Heart Association shows the U.S. on trend to have a cardiovascular disease crisis within 30 years. A public poll shows people feel eating healthy is the way to avoid the crisis, but price points and access limit that ability.

Heat index outlooks — projecting what it feels like outside with the heat and humidity combined — push feels-like temperatures near triple digits between June 17-21 and top 100 degrees in the Lehigh Valley between June 19-25.

More than two dozen state legislators, including one from the Lehigh Valley, have co-sponsored HB2238, which would eliminate the use of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in household products.

A Democratic-sponsored proposal to boost public school funding by billions and impose stricter rules on cyber-charter schools is on its way to the Pennsylvania Senate after passage in the state House.

State officials are holding a virtual town hall meeting Wednesday for residents to share their feedback on the Bureau of Forestry’s newest strategic plan. Here's how to participate.

Skill games — those machines that look like slot machines in convenience stores and taverns across Pennsylvania — are a potential public safety threat because they deal in cash in places that generally have little or no security procedures in place, according to the state district attorneys association.

First introduced by state Sen. Lisa Boscola in 2015, the bill would increase penalties and direct any money collected toward bald and golden eagle conservation efforts in Pennsylvania.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild leads the pack in spending. And along with Republicans Kevin Dellicker, Ryan Mackenzie and Maria Montero, the four have spent more than $660,000 through the first three months of 2024 in their efforts to win Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District seat.

The spring homebuying season is off to a robust start in the Lehigh Valley, with homes selling quickly and at above asking price, but there are plenty of reasons some would-be shoppers are still on the sidelines.

The 90-minute show includes one-on-one interviews with each of the three Republican candidates seeking the party's nomination for Congress in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. Watch at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, exclusively on PBS39.

Kevin McClelland is the newest chief executive officer of the Boy Scouts of America Minsi Trails Council, whose membership took a hit during the coronavirus pandemic.

Bethlehem native Glen Larimer has authored a book to honor his late father — local sports journalist Terry Larimer.

A severe weather threat is on tap for Sunday, forecasters warn, with a tornado threat for central Pennsylvania and damaging winds possible in the Lehigh Valley.

In Pennsylvania, more than 600,000 Latinos are eligible to vote this presidential election year. In a battleground state, their impact could help swing results in one direction or the other, observers say.

The state House on Tuesday passed a bill that would expand the state’s ban on hand-held devices while driving. Lehigh Valley lawmakers split on the vote, with Democrats lending their full support.

Donald Trump spoke for more than an hour at the Schnecksville Fire Company fairgrounds off Route 309 in Lehigh County. Thousands came to see the former president and presumptive Republican nominee to challenge Joe Biden in November.

From April 20 through April 28, residents are invited to join or host a cleanup along a section of the D&L Trail as part of a trash collection competition. Winners will be announced May 3.