Week in review: December 18-24, 2022

LehighValleyNews.com | By Mariella Miller

Published December 24, 2022 at 1:00 PM EST

Whole-body plastinates and organs are displayed at the BODY WORLDS RX exhibition at Allentown's Da Vinci Science Center. The exhibition opens Dec. 26 and runs through April 23.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Welcome back to our Week in Review. We have chosen seven stories, in no particular order, to take you back on the week. Enjoy, and thank you so much for reading.

Green rolling fields with farmland and thick stands of trees — Northampton County's newest park includes woodlands, agricultural fields, and a stream

1. There's a new park in Northampton County.

Northampton County announced Wednesday that it has bought 41 acres in Allen Township that will become the county's latest park.

2. BODY WORLDS RX was unveiled at Allentown's Da Vinci Science Center.

Unsure of what to expect but curious enough to actually enter, dozens of people streamed through a traveling exhibition Tuesday showcasing what its creators say is “the twilight between life and death.”

activearmor 1.JPG — 3D printed cast are now being made at St. Luke's University Health Network.

3. St. Luke's has started making custom 3D printed casts

People who need a cast for a broken bone now have an alternative to the traditional plaster or fiberglass casts that are often uncomfortable and hard to maintain. St. Luke’s University Health Network says it's the first in the state to create them on site.

221203 Allentown tree lighting MeLVin.jpg — Lehigh Valley Phantoms mascot MeLVin stands in front of the Christmas tree.

4. Thousands of bears rained down onto the ice at a recent Phantoms game

It’s safe to declare the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ annual teddy bear toss a roaring success. And then some.

This graphic from the National Weather Service shows the Lehigh Valley under a Winter Weather Advisory on Thursday.

5. The weather

While Santa is making his list and checking it twice this week, forecasters at the National Weather Service will be scrutinizing any snow that may fall on Christmas Eve.

Council meeting — It was standing room only at the Lower Saucon Township meeting on Wednesday ahead of a hearing on plans to expand Bethlehem Landfill.

6. Lower Saucon agrees on a proposal to increase the size of the Bethlehem Landfill

Lower Saucon Township Council voted 3-2 Wednesday at a meeting that pushed late into the night to approve a measure facilitating the expansion of the Bethlehem Landfill.

Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre has new owners

7. Shankweiler's Drive-In has new owners with new plans

Lauren McChesney and Matt McClanahan had a bit of a rough start when they became the new owners of Shankweiler’s Drive-In in Orefield.