Environment & Science

The box tree moth, a highly destructive, invasive insect, was discovered for the first time in Pennsylvania, in two cemeteries in Erie County. A quarantine has been issued.

The “Stanley Jr. Kids Wheelbarrow and 7-piece Garden Set" has been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission after the paint on the hoe and rake were found to contain lead levels exceeding the federal content ban.

Brad Klein reviews the week’s astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s ‘Backyard Astronomy Guy,’ Marty McGuire. This week, they look ahead to the Autumnal Equinox.

SpaceX’s capsule Polaris Dawn splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico in the predawn darkness early Sunday. Returning to Earth were two SpaceX engineers, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman of the Lehigh Valley. Isaacman became only the 264th person to perform a spacewalk.

A Lehigh University graduate last year recorded a new species of mushroom at Wildlands Conservancy's South Mountain Preserve.

Monarch butterflies are starting to migrate through the Lehigh Valley. An annual tagging program, held at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, helps conservation efforts.

Testimony that will help a Northampton County judge decide if a lawsuit against the Bethlehem Landfill and Lower Saucon Twp. can move forward continued Friday, and will stretch into a third day.

Called the Recovery in Nature initiative, two state departments have joined forces to create regional-specific partnerships to bolster substance use recovery efforts while strengthening all residents’ connection to nature.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its report of the most challenging places to live with asthma. The release coincides with peak asthma season in September.

Early Tuesday, Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who has a home in the Lehigh Valley, launched into space for a second time as part of a mission dubbed Polaris Dawn. The launch was visible in the area.

The Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas are under a flood watch from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

With some parts of the Lehigh Valley under as much as 9 inches of snow, the National Weather Service says the storm’s not quite done yet.

Olivia Louise McMahon traveled to Dubai last month as part of Penn State University's delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Officials from around the world discussed how to limit the effects of climate change already present and prepare for further impacts.

The funding for four projects came from the Growing Greener and Act 167 grant programs, both through the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Emergency Management agencies at the county and state level, as well as cities in the Lehigh Valley say they're ready for whatever happens after the snowstorm: including a risk of severe and dangerous flooding.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

A winter storm is targeting the region this weekend, and forecasters say there's a more potent system right behind it that could bring damaging winds, heavy rain and flooding.

Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie will celebrate the official opening of its ski season on Sunday at 9 a.m.

PPL Electric Utilities offers tips to customers designed to keep them safe and warm during the winter season.

Five farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in the commonwealth’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

A coastal storm is on track to impact the region this weekend, but forecasters say the latest guidance has reduced snowfall totals and impacts across the region.

The past two Lehigh Valley winters haven't produced much in the way of snow. With the potential for significant snowfall this weekend, local business operators are gearing up — at last.