Parkland News

A Lehigh County judge heard arguments Monday in a case that will decide whether a 501,000-square-foot warehouse will rise on 71 acres near Route 309 and Orefield Road.

The $68 million, five-building expansion to the existing high school at 2700 N. Cedar Creek Blvd. will be voted on for final approval by the township board of commissioners in January.

The submission proposing the construction of 2.6 million square-feet of data center facilities closely aligns with Air Products' existing plan for warehouses on the 194-acre property.

Specifics for the plan are still under wraps as Upper Macungie Township is processing the application. The proposal would develop the data center at the former Air Products headquarters on Hamilton Boulevard.

Parkland School District officials on Monday presented early estimates for their 2026-27 budget. It includes a $20 million deficit, and could lead to a tax increase next year.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, introduced the bill in 2023 after a student brought a knife to Schnecksville Elementary School. Parents didn't learn of the incident until a week later.

Parkland Superintendent Mark Madson, Assistant Superintendent Michelle Minotti and Chief Financial Officer Leslie Frisbie were awarded five-year extensions on Tuesday, the district said in a news release.

Parkland's school board voted unanimously Tuesday to stop payments to charter schools until a state budget is in place.

A crop farm in Lehigh County was included in the latest round of Pennsylvania's Farmland Preservation Program. Twenty-three other farms across the state were also preserved.

A Lehigh County detective Monday explained his process for obtaining a cell phone from Francis Anonia, Parkland School District's former performing arts administrator charged with secretly recording a student changing clothes. Anonia's lawyer asked a judge to throw out key evidence in the case.

North Whitehall Township is opting to introduce a fire tax and raise its general services tax to meet cost pressures on the municipality.

The 66-year-old victim was thrown from the vehicle after it veered off the road and rolled down an embankment Saturday night in a wooded area off Tilghman Street, Coroner Daniel Buglio said.

Student alerted security, which then apprehended the individual without incident.

A new noise ordinance in Upper Macungie will lower the maximum noise allowed, citing quality-of-life issues related to noise pollution.

South Whitehall Township, after its prior search lost momentum, authorized a new search for a police chief while also taking on a new parks ordinance.

The document highlights the current state of land and resource management in the township, and outlines action items of how they can be conserved while still moving the economy and life of its residents forward.

Parkland School District's Vision 2030 project to expand and renovate the high school and Orefield Middle School to address school overcrowding has increased by nearly $4 million from its original $210 million price tag.

A developer’s plans to build a 150,400-square-foot warehouse along Route 100 moves on to Upper Macungie Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday night.

Dorney Park's Halloween Haunt has opened, and beyond the returning horror of the haunted houses and mazes, fans can look forward to an eerie addition for the creepy coaster Iron Menace as well.

Upper Macungie Township held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday for a $47 million Lifestyle Community Center to be built at Grange Park.

Robert Steckel became superintendent of the Whitehall-Coplay School District in 2021. “I’ll have more to say at a later meeting, but I am here to assist the board with the search process and ensure that a smooth transition occurs to whoever the successor is," he said.

The Upper Macungie Board of Supervisors discussed a new noise ordinance for the township, but disagreed on how exactly it should be enforced.