Environment & Science

The Allentown Environmental Advisory Council on Monday discussed but did not vote on the draft letter, addressed to members of City Council.

Threatened due to habitat loss and other factors, purple martins in the Lehigh Valley depend on man-made bird houses. For the first time, they've taken up residence at St. Luke's Arboretum in Bethlehem Township.

This week, you may have noticed a second bright object joining the ‘morning star’ before dawn recently. It’s the giant planet Jupiter, and this week it will make its closest approach to Venus in the morning sky.

Farmers markets add to the local economy, driving tourism, officials said. Supporting them is also important for farmland preservation and strengthening community, advocates say.

Easton planners recommended against the zoning hearing board granting a special exception that would see a tributary on the grounds of the Easton Commerce Park project relocated.

“The Hidden Language of Trees: How Forests Secretly Communicate” will play at 8 p.m. Aug. 22 at The Neighborhood Center, 902 Philadelphia Road.

Six entrepreneurs pitched their projects to judges during StartUp Lehigh Valley event at Musikfest Cafe on Tuesday night.

Community members gathered at Penn Pump Park in Palmer Township Tuesday morning to celebrate the recent ADA accessibility improvements funding via county grant programs.

Event will involve panelists and keynote speakers who will provide examples and information on climate mitigation.

This week, a look at a new discovery about one of the brightest stars in the night sky, the red supergiant, Betelgeuse.

Thousands of customers are still left without power following a series of storms that hit the Lehigh Valley. High winds yielded downed wires and tree limbs across homes and roadways throughout the area.

Downed trees and power outages were the result of a powerful storm that pounded the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night.

In an update Thursday morning, PPL said crews saw significant damage from downed trees and limbs that caused more than 1,000 individual damage locations. Since the storm, it has restored power for more than 85,000 customers.

A severe thunderstorm brought wind gusts approaching 60 mph, heavy rain and hail to Lehigh and Northampton counties early Wednesday night. Utility companies reported thousands in the dark.

Another day of sweltering temperatures will transition to a night of severe weather across the region, and concern has shifted to timing on when storms are expected to fire.

Near unrelenting heat has become a reality in the Lehigh Valley to kick off summer, putting the area at risk for rapid onset drought — a term that’s part of a new outlook issued by the Climate Prediction Center.

Another surge of heat and humidity is on the way for the Lehigh Valley, with the possibility that severe storms could rattle the region on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Venus, the planet: Morning star, evening star, or just being itself?

The severe thunderstorm watch comes amid a heat wave that looks to break Monday as a cooler air mass mercifully moves into the region Sunday night.

Excessive heat warnings have been posted in parts of the northeastern U.S. with heat indices of 105 to 110 degrees. Forecasters issued an excessive heat warning for southeastern Pennsylvania. As for Saturday, we're expected to hit a high of 96 in the Lehigh Valley.

One trick is to be sure to water plants at the base — not the leaves — to ensure the roots absorb the water. "Everybody waters the plant, but you need to water the soil," says one nursery manager.

The Lehigh Valley ranks as the eighth-highest industrial market in the U.S., it was disclosed at a Lehigh Valley Planning Commission roundtable meeting on Friday.