State & Regional News

An influx of residents and warehouses have made highways in Lehigh and Northampton counties more crowded. An analysis by LehighValleyNews.com finds some stretches of road have experienced increases of 40% to 50% in traffic volume, with Route 33 overtaking Interstate 78 as the region's second-busiest highway.

A recent bald eagle rehabilitation and release is a bright spot amid a dangerous time for bald eagles in the Lehigh Valley and the rest of the commonwealth. Bird flu continues to threaten wild bird populations, causing more than a dozen bald eagles to be euthanized across Pennsylvania.

A five-part series this week will explore traffic and transportation issues in the Lehigh Valley. Increasing traffic volume, dangerous driving and insufficient infrastructure are among the topics examined.

Said LANTA planning and scheduling manager A.J. Jordan, “LANTA Planning Department is consistently working to make sure changes impact riders as little as possible."

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie visited Ward Transport & Logistics Corp. in Easton, where he got feedback about federal regulations on truck drivers and concerns about Pennsylvania's emission standards.

Justin Simmons, the former Republican state representative, was among three people who filed nomination papers last week to seek the party's nomination in the May 20 primary election.

The first-of-its-kind report, “Wildlife Corridors: How reconnecting habitats is protecting Pennsylvania’s native species," highlights 10 innovative wildlife corridor projects around the state.

Democratic VIPs including U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, DNC Chair Ken Martin and former U.S. Rep. Susan Wild attended the town hall at Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Thursday night. The evening came with a rebuke to attendees from the church pastor.

At a virtual town hall Thursday, U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, said he did not support cuts to Medicare or Social Security, called for peace in Ukraine, and gently pushed back on how the Trump administration handled cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture officials say they're owed more than $3 million in outstanding reimbursements from the federal government. The lawsuit includes six other organizations and five major cities.

Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays is hosting U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick with a special appearance from U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on Monday. The visit comes a day before the Pennsylvania primary.

This year’s Lehigh Valley Sustainability Summit was held Friday morning at The Club at Twin Lakes. Officials discussed upcoming projects, as well as efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

An investigation by Votebeat and Spotlight PA shows Northampton County had incomplete, disorganized and inconsistent records from its 2023 voting machine testing. Is legislation needed?

Bryan Kohberger, charged in the killings of 4 University of Idaho students, resided in Monroe County, Pa., and is a graduate of DeSales University and Northampton Community College.

The spring migration count at Hawk Mountain has begun. It runs through May 15.

EPA officials last week announced the first-ever national drinking water standard regulating per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are widespread, long-lasting in the environment and have been linked to long-term health issues.

More than 22 million American households use the Affordable Connectivity Act to pay for high-speed internet. But with funding running dry and Congress gridlocked, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild and other Democrats are considering an esoteric rule to force a vote.

For every Republican voting by mail this April, there are 2.75 Democrats voting by mail, according to state data. Political observers believe it could give Democrats an advantage heading into the November election should the pattern hold.

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday for Iron Menace, the Northeast's first-ever "dive" roller coaster that features a 95-degree, 152-foot drop.

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.