Environment & Science

Norfolk Southern responded to an investigation inquiry into the July 5 freight train derailment near the Hill-to-Hill Bridge in Bethlehem, chalking it up to human error.

The city was awarded the grant through the WalkWorks program. Officials now have $35,000 and a year to create an Active Transportation Plan aimed at bolstering connectivity across the city.

Dr. Jana Houser specializes in radar analysis of tornadoes and the supercell thunderstorms that produce them. She recently served as a consultant on "Twisters."

Pluto is perfectly positioned in orbit this week. While it's too small for us to see even with a decent telescope, NASA has us covered.

Development has divided wildlife habitats across Pennsylvania, leading to more vehicle-animal collisions. A new report from the state Legislature argues reconnecting the pieces through wildlife corridors would help.

The National Scenic Visitors Center’s “Earthwalk Explorer” exhibit is at the Banana Factory Arts and Education Center, 25 W. Third St., Bethlehem. The traveling, tactile exhibit is centered around a 3D map of the northeastern United States and is in town all next week.

Keystone Cement Co. in East Allen Township is renewing its hazardous waste permit with the state Department of Environmental Protection. Part of the company's plan is to change how it transports waste, from trucks to rail.

Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio said a 93-year-old woman from Upper Macugie Township was pronounced dead in her home Thursday. It's the first heat-related death reported in the area.

Mosquitos carrying West Nile virus were recorded within city limits. Here's where officials are spraying Wednesday.

Applications for a seat on the council, launched in 2022 and aimed at growing public participation, are being accepted through the end of the month. Here's how to apply.

While The Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary is closed to the public after an April bridge collapse, officials had to get inventive — and adventurous — for camp to happen this summer.

The Da Vinci Science Center and Friends of the Allentown Parks are partnering to make science more accessible to Allentown kids and open their eyes to what's around them.

Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is opposed to a request by Waste Management to amend the Plainfield Township zoning ordinance regarding the sanitary landfill in the township.

Lehigh has been hosting SSP’s International’s Summer Science Program this summer. During the five-week course, students get hands-on experience completing college-level research while getting a feel for campus life.

Allentown was the only Lehigh Valley city to be awarded funding through this round of the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant. The program aims to improve air quality in communities through cleaner fuel transportation infrastructure

The National Weather Service said the next couple of days will feature “the most pleasant weather of the summer" in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.

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.

Hologram Zoo Lehigh Valley, only the second such attraction in the country, opened its doors to an enthusiastic crowd at Easton's City Hall on Friday.

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.