State & Regional News

The most popular names have been a constant the past few years, according to the major health networks. But one trend that emerged in 2023 in the Lehigh Valley seems to be tied to sports — specifically, the success and popularity of the Philadelphia Phillies. Taylor Swift also may be having an impact.

The Pennsylvania Department of State is starting a new office to help train county election workers, Pa. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. It also plans to update its guidance for logic and accuracy testing that could have caught issues with the Northampton County voting machines.

Lafayette College will host the 2024 vice presidential debate this coming September, drawing the world's eyes to its Easton campus. Nicole Hurd, the college's president, hopes it will be an opportunity to highlight the liberal arts school and the greater Easton community.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg passed nearly three dozen laws last week in a final burst of action as they held their last voting session of the year.

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.

On Wednesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Senate Bill 37, known as Paul Miller’s Law, officially making Pennsylvania the 29th state in the nation to ban distracted driving.

Two police officers are speaking out against the "bloodbath" they witnessed during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. On Wednesday, they campaigned for the Biden-Harris campaign throughout Pennsylvania — a key battleground state in the upcoming election.

The Storm Prediction Center has maintained a marginal risk (1 out of 5) for the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas Thursday, with the primary threat being damaging winds.

The 2024 Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment is open now until August. It is a biannual survey that evaluates health needs and disparities among LGBTQ people in the state.

The 75-year-old Pen Argyl man was filmed tangling with riot police outside the U.S. Capitol Building as Congress tallied votes for the 2020 presidential election, according to federal prosecutors.

Judy Woodruff, former anchor of "PBS NewsHour," returned to Bethlehem on Tuesday for a pair of conversations about the war in Gaza. It's part of her "America at a Crossroads" project examining the deep divides in American politics.

City Council unanimously approved $25,000 for a housing market study and strategy for the Stefko-Pembroke area, highlighting demand there for affordable, market-rate rental and for-sale housing.

The time between Memorial Day to Labor Day is known as the '100 deadliest days,' according to AAA. The traffic safety non-profit says teen driving fatalities increase during that time, especially at night.

While monitoring continues, Lehigh Valley Breathes officials used the most recent project update to explain results from the research this spring at Lehigh University.

Forty-five lawmakers have co-sponsored a bill that would protect workers who make prefabricated structures used in government contracts in better-paying communities.

When all was said and done, May was the Lehigh Valley’s sixth consecutive warmer-than-normal month, with an average temperature of 63.4 degrees – or 1.4 degrees above normal. So what will summer bring?

During this year’s spring migration count, which runs from April 1 through mid-May, Hawk Mountain volunteers and staff tallied 1,001 birds of prey.