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.

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?

Voyager 1 is now the furthest man-made object from Earth, having traveled to a distance of around 15 billion miles away.

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.

East Penn School District is seeking proposals for a potential solar farm near the Macungie and Shoemaker Elementary School buildings.

Northampton County Park and Recreation Division will host the Greenways Jamboree Celebration, marking their 50th anniversary, in tandem with the 20th anniversary of the Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape Partnership and the 28th Annual Lehigh River Sojourn.

Three Lehigh Valley researchers are arguing bird-strike fatalities are much higher than we might think. They recently published a peer-reviewed study showing bird deaths from window strikes are nearly double previous estimates, and likely higher.

The colleges have formed a partnership to build and bring online a solar facility in western Kentucky. When completed, the facility will offset electricity usage at the institutions, effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation to zero.

The main threat will come later Monday and Monday night with a cold front that creates the possibility of strong winds and hail – even a tornado, said meteorologist Bobby Martrich of EPAWA Weather Consulting.

Essentially a scholastic scrimmage for environmental science, the annual Envirothon combines classroom learning and outdoor activities to engage students in the environment. The state competition was held Wednesday at Camp Mt. Luther in Mifflinburg.

As residents and tourists explore the region’s many parks, bike trails and scenic overlooks — May is recognized as National Lyme Disease Awareness Month — health and environmental officials are cautioning visitors to check for ticks after their outdoor adventures.

A first-quarter log documents over 160 complaints from addresses in Lower Saucon, Hellertown, Freemansburg, Bethlehem Township and the outskirts of Easton. Landfill operators say they're responding.

A turbulent morning of storms brought significant damage to parts of the Lehigh Valley on Thursday, with estimated wind speeds of 60 to 70 mph, meteorologists confirmed.