Molly Bilinski
Environment & Science reporterI cover environment and science for LehighValleyNews.com. Originally from Schuylkill County, I got my start in journalism writing obituaries for the Reading Eagle in 2014 after graduating from Kutztown University. I’ve also reported for The Press of Atlantic City, covering municipalities, crime and courts, and The Morning Call, where I was part of the audience team. In 2022, I won first place in the diversity category of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s Keystone Media Awards. Contact me at mollyb@lehighvalleynews.com or 610-984-8225.
-
When state officials announced a series of in-person and virtual meetings there were no in-person meetings slated for the Lehigh Valley, even though the region is the third largest metropolitan area in the commonwealth. A meeting in Allentown has been added to the schedule.
-
A decade or so after buying his South Whitehall Township home in the late 1960s, Fred Buse started recording the average temperature, precipitation type and amount, as well as any animal sightings in his backyard to study and track the health of the local environment.
-
While the goal is to transition communities to clean energy while creating jobs, there are still many unknowns about the projects. Even though there are two hubs slated for Pennsylvania, it could be a while before the Lehigh Valley’s residents begin to feel any impacts.
-
First introduced by state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh Valley, in 2015 and approved by the Senate in July, the bill would increase the fine and direct any monies collected towards bald and golden eagle conservation efforts across the commonwealth.
-
City council on Wednesday will consider overriding Mayor Matt Tuerk's veto of council’s approved 2024 no-tax-increase budget, which did not include the position. Advocates still hope to find a way to a hire a sustainability manager.
-
The Lehigh County Authority released the estimate and a schedule of public meetings to review the plan and collect feedback from affected residents. The first meeting is scheduled for 6 tonight in South Whitehall Township.
-
In Northampton County, a problem with recording votes for judicial retention prompted officials to shut down electronic machines Tuesday morning and rely on paper ballots. County Executive Lamont McClure said the vendor and county elections staff should have caught the issue in testing before Election Day.
-
Lafayette College's commercial composting vessel was placed in June. It comes more than a decade after the college first started it's composting program, with the dining hall using fully compostable packaging and cutlery.
-
The first new building on Muhlenberg’s campus in more than a decade, the Fahy Commons for Public Engagement and Innovation, 2400 W. Chew St., has racked up three different sustainability awards and certifications.
-
Lehigh Valley Breathes is a Valley-wide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing. The project is expected to run for a year.
-
Kathleen Covalt, who teaches online classes through Northampton Community College for adults interested in learning about unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, said there's hope for future disclosures.
-
The 17-year-old Allentown Central Catholic senior has been monitoring the creek's surface lead concentrations, and plans to continue researching.
-
It could take two weeks to fix operational issues at Kline’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant on Union Street. Officials described the sewer odor as an ‘"earthy" or "rotten egg" smell, but said it is not harmful to human health.
-
This first round of designations included 483 tracts across the country, with only one in the Lehigh Valley. Officials said additional designations are slated for the next 12 to 18 months.
-
A colony with tens of thousands of honeybees was removed Wednesday from beneath the roof of the government building. The honeybee population is shrinking. James Zdepski is looking to change that.
-
Olivia Teel became the city’s forester in June. A native of the Lehigh Valley, who also studied environmental science at a local university, Teel’s devotion to the environment extends past working hours.
-
Early-aught hip-hop hitmakers Nelly and Chingy performed Friday at third night of the Allentown Fair grandstand.
-
While three out of four Lehigh Valley residents are either “very” or “somewhat” concerned with loss of open space, about a third expressed concerns about the quality of air and drinking water in the region. Read the latest in our "Life in the Lehigh Valley" series.
-
Two Allegiant flights slated for Wednesday afternoon have been canceled. Forecasters say the Category 3 story is 'unprecedented.'
-
More than 2,600 acres on 35 farms in 18 counties across the commonwealth were preserved. Here are the Lehigh Valley farms now safe from development.
-
The yet-to-be-named calf was born Aug. 4 and is the tenth oryx calf born at the zoo since 2014.
-
As of Aug. 22, more than 300 raptors were counted during the Berks County sanctuary's annual autumn count. The count runs through Dec. 15.