Environment & Science

With other communities around the state adopting bans on plastic bags, Lower Saucon could be on its way to something similar. if approved, it would involve a transition process to show shoppers the bigger picture and give time for businesses to properly offload plastic bags on hand.

Allentown and Easton have been paired with an engineering company to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. It's Allentown's first time, but Easton's second, in the program.

Environmentalists say the Lehigh River is the cleanest its been in 175 years. A river snorkeling program at Lehigh Gap Nature Centers encourages residents to explore their local waterways and track river health.

This week Watching the Skies explores the ice giant, Uranus.

Another heat advisory has made its way to the Lehigh Valley, accompanied by an air quality alert. While temperatures aren't expected to be as high as the last heat wave, the heat index could still hit triple-digits Monday and Tuesday.

Cars were running and appeared ready to roll Saturday morning at the site of Friday's multi-car derailment.

More than two dozen dinosaurs are on display at the Allentown Fairgrounds Agri-Plex through Sunday night.

Possible showers and thunderstorms will provide little relief from the humidity over the next several days, according to the National Weather Service.

The Climate Prediction Center is favoring warmer than normal temperatures for the Lehigh Valley, which has an average daily high of 86.4 degrees in July, according to data from the National Weather Service.

A Mars-themed event at Bethlehem Area Public Library will focus on NASA rovers Curiosity and Perseverance. Registration is encouraged.

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.

Lehigh and Northampton counties are again under a flood watch, this time from 3 p.m. Wednesday through 3 a.m. Thursday.

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.

This week, Brad Klein and Marty McGuire talk about an observatory making waves in the astro-photography world: the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Lehigh and Northampton counties — along with much of eastern Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey — from Monday afternoon through the evening.

Lehigh University now has six immersive learning experiences, or virtual reality games, aimed at engaging students, residents and visitors.

Applications open next week for the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside of the Federal Highway Administration’s Surface Block Grant Program.

A cold front colliding with a surge of tropical moisture is expected to produce widespread showers and storms, triggering a flood watch for the Lehigh Valley and much of eastern Pennsylvania.