The Yanks + Franks parties my family gave for decades on Independence Day were a blast — sausages al fresco with a perfect fireworks view. But there were big downsides to the rockets’ red glare.

St. Helena city leaders will decide Tuesday whether to bring back a traditional fireworks show for the Fourth of July or opt ...

Other events planned for the week-long celebration include a parade, a pickleball tournament, and an air show. Cocoa Beach’s Independence Day celebration this year is swapping fireworks for drones.

And it’s no joke, the smoke that hangs over the Bowl and the whole neighborhood, like a ‘50s smog, all the next day. As staffer David Wilson reports, Caltech professor Rick Flagan has shown fireworks ...