Environment & Science

This week, a look at the late Vera C. Rubin, an American astronomer whose name is now associated with one of the most powerful observatories on Earth.

An annual pest across Pennsylvania, corn earworms can cause damage to both sweet and field corn, cutting into farmers’ profits and home-gardeners’ yields. They've been reported in the Lehigh Valley.

Aryash Shyam, a rising eighth-grader at Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School, created the GreenBeam to kill weeds with a laser. The project got him named the Pennsylvania State Merit Winner in the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

South Whitehall Township commissioners on Wednesday approved an ordinance that asks to add a ballot question requesting a tax increase intended to help support the preservation of open spaces.

Held at DeSales University’s Gerald White Conference Center, the day-long event drew several dozen participants, including students, teachers and local environmental advocates and leaders.

In the Lehigh Valley, 22 out of just the last 30 days have seen dew points at or above 70, meaning nearly three-quarters of recent days have been sticky enough to feel more like Florida than eastern Pennsylvania.

A project of the Pennsylvania Municipal League and Sustainable Pittsburgh, Sustainable Pennsylvania is a voluntary program focused on helping municipalities improve sustainability to save money, conserve resources and improve residents’ lives.

Allentown police can hand out tickets to anyone caught swimming in natural waterways in the city, Mayor Matt Tuerk said, urging residents not to let a $100 fine “ruin your summer.”

The city was awarded funding through a state Department of Environmental Protection grant to buy seven electric vehicles. However, more funding is needed for charging infrastructure.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton areas until 9:30 p.m. In the Emmaus area, more than 2 inches of rain had fallen in two hours, a meteorologist said.

Environmental groups are calling on state regulators to deny a request from a crypto-mining company to burn tires as fuel for its operations.

The $3.05 million in federal funding comes on behalf of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program. The Easton Avenue project is one of five across the state.

Two Allegiant flights slated for Wednesday afternoon have been canceled. Forecasters say the Category 3 story is 'unprecedented.'

More than 2,600 acres on 35 farms in 18 counties across the commonwealth were preserved. Here are the Lehigh Valley farms now safe from development.

The yet-to-be-named calf was born Aug. 4 and is the tenth oryx calf born at the zoo since 2014.

As of Aug. 22, more than 300 raptors were counted during the Berks County sanctuary's annual autumn count. The count runs through Dec. 15.

Beginning Wednesday night, a super blue moon will rise and will be the third-largest moon to date this year, leaving one more supermoon in 2023.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission's Elk Cam gives viewers a close-up look at elk as their activity is about to ramp up with the bugling season. It features a rotating, zooming camera and natural sound.

Three studies show smoke from Canadian wildfires led to a spike in people with asthma visiting emergency rooms in the United States. One study collected data from about 4,000 U.S. hospitals.

The Weather Prediction Center said one inch per hour rainfall rates are possible, as well as “precipitation totals on the order of 1 to 2 plus inches through the period.”

The middle of August is prime time for ragweed pollen production, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection — and that’s exactly what the numbers are showing in the Lehigh Valley.

It is now certain, forecasters say, that the Lehigh Valley will not see a 90-degree day in the month of August. Not with a pool of Canadian air set to descend on the region.