State & Regional News

More than 2,000 acres on 28 farms in 15 counties across the commonwealth were preserved. Here are the Lehigh Valley farms now safe from development.

Kirkland Village celebrated their recent upgrades thanks to a grant from the Long-Term Care Transformation Office, with health officials detailing the importance of funding to keep long-term facilities at their best.

More than six months after its launch, 33 air quality monitors have been installed throughout the Lehigh Valley as part of Lehigh Valley Breathes, a regionwide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing.

The price of a first-class stamp could increase for the fourth time in less than two years. Other proposed adjustments would raise all mailing services product prices approximately 7.8 percent.

District 131 is made up of parts of Lehigh, Northampton and Montgomery counties. Here’s a brief look at the respective candidates, including the two Democrats hoping to take the spot of a Republican incumbent.

Arcadia Development Corporation plans to tear down the SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western at 300 Gateway Drive off Route 512, replacing it with a warehouse. The permit hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. April 29 at Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem.

A one-day symposium at Lehigh gathered decision-makers from Pennsylvania's big-name universities, talking strategy for recruiting students cross-border and overseas, and touting economic and cultural benefits.

Between 5,000 and 6,000 people are expected for former President Donald Trump's campaign rally at the Schnecksville Fire Hall on Saturday, according to Lehigh County Republican Committee Chairman Joe Vichot.

The Biden administration on Wednesday finalized strict limits on certain so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water that will require utilities to reduce them to the lowest level they can be reliably measured.

Two toddlers in Pennsylvania — including a 3-year-old Allentown boy — have been killed in accidental shootings in recent days.

Nippon Steel is set to pay more than $14 billion to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel in a deal that Rep. Susan Wild said is “really kind of heartbreaking."

Pennsylvania's gas tax– the highest in the nation in 2023 – will drop from $0.611/gallon to $0.576/gallon and will remain in place through 2024.

It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.

Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott said these types of incentives will help to attract “the best and brightest” candidates to serve the city.

More than three dozen projects in the Valley were awarded grants, receiving about 7% of the total funding awarded. Statewide, $335 million in grants were announced Wednesday.

Driven by $8.1 billion in manufacturing, the Lehigh Valley's Gross Domestic Product grew to a record $50.2 billion in 2022. The region's economy now ranks above Vermont and Wyoming.

State Sen. Lisa Boscola said it's a fallacy if the U.S. Postal Service thinks it can save up to $7 million by shipping outgoing mail from the Lehigh Valley to Harrisburg for processing without cutting jobs. On Monday, she called on USPS to do further analysis of its plans.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission at 11 a.m. on Wednesday is holding a meeting at its Allentown office to brainstorm and prioritize ways to decarbonize transportation across the region. Decarbonization is the process of reducing or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions.

Amid the joy and festivities, environmental advocates are urging residents to keep sustainability in mind during what can be a time of year when trash and waste spikes.

State environmental officials on Thursday evening hosted the last of five public engagement sessions, as they work to create a Priority Climate Action Plan, or PCAP, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emission statewide and mitigate further effects of climate change.

On the sixth day of Hanukkah, some in the local Jewish community called for supporters of Palestinians in Gaza to join in calls for peace.

PennDOT officials detailed planned and continuing work for 2024, including major bridge replacements along well-traveled state routes.