East Penn News

Lower Macungie Township planning commission on Tuesday reviewed plans for a three-building commercial development on Route 100, to include a 'retail center,' a bank and a Sprouts natural grocery store.

The Knauss Homestead Preservation Society is coming back for its fourth year this summer at the Knauss Homestead Farmhouse in Emmaus. The late July event is free, but registration for attendance is required.

Lower Macungie Township commissioners took another look at the plans for the new Western Lehigh Services facility during their Monday evening workshop, reviewing a few technical notes that still need to be addressed.

A new analysis from East Penn's financial planners found that major renovations to Emmaus High School would require a referendum or decades of tax hikes — options school board members rejected.

Lower Macungie Township’s planning commission voted Tuesday to recommend approving a mixed-use project at 617 N. Krocks Rd. set to include a 318-unit apartment complex, a 160-room hotel and nearly 20,000 square feet of retail space.

The East Penn school board approved a 2025-2026 budget Monday which will raise property taxes by 0.84 mills, the most allowed under state law without a referendum.

North Whitehall Township's planning commission voted unanimously Thursday to recommend rejecting a land development proposal for a 501,000-square-foot warehouse near the intersection of Route 309 and Orefield Road.

The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Regional Music Awards, a new organization, will hold its inaugural presentation Dec. 7 at Emmaus Theatre.

April Lubenetski served the citizens of Lehigh Township since 2008 as a volunteer firefighter, and also was a Borough of Emmaus master firefighter.

So far, two Macungie residents have applied to fill an open seat on the borough council. On Monday, the body's current members asked them a few questions.

Hilary Unger, owner of Perianth Interior Design, was chosen Designer of the Year for 2025 by the Interior Design Society in the category of Living Spaces Over $100,000.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie helped secure $1.6 million in earmarks toward a new Alburtis Fire Station. The existing structure is too small to serve a modern fire department.

Next month, Wind Creek Event Center owner Jeff Trainer plans to open The Broken Record, a restaurant in Lower Macungie Township that will combine a broad range of food offerings with a music theme — and perhaps more.

At a Lower Macungie Planning Commission meeting Tuesday, officials praised a data center zoning ordinance under consideration in neighboring Upper Macungie.

Three African Servals escaped from Cricket Wildlife Center after a powerful storm last Wednesday damaged their enclosure. After dozens of reported sightings, two of the wild cats are back, leaving one left to capture.

Three Democrats will join the Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners in January. The trio appear to have become the first Democrats to be elected to the township governing body in more than a half century.

The show runs at 7 p.m. today, Nov. 7, and at the same time Saturday in Emmaus High School’s auditorium. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Filmmaker-turned-showrunner Jiah Peck debuts the entire first season of an original comedy series at the Emmaus Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

A Wednesday night storm brought damaging winds to the area, with gusts reaching up to 47 mph. The National Weather Service warned of damage to trees and utilities, and a wildlife center in Berks County suffered just that: A tree fell on an enclosure housing three African servals that have since escaped.

Mackenzie, along with officials from Wildlands Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, on Wednesday morning hiked a portion of the property, lauding the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund that helped preserve it.

During a taping of "Business Matters" at WFMZ on Wednesday, Adam and Luke Jaindl, of Jaindl Land Co., gave an update on their project at Lehigh Valley Town Center in Lower Macungie Township.

At a workshop meeting Monday, Lower Macungie officials reviewed plans for a commercial development along Route 100, including the region's first Sprouts Farmers Market.