Parkland News

Former educator Mike Millo is running for the Parkland School Board again after withdrawing from the race in 2020. He said his legislative priorities are listening to resident concerns, fiscal responsibility and transparency.

Rep. Peter Schweyer, chair of the House Education Committee, said a short timetable will likely limit how much lawmakers can change basic education funding in Gov. Josh Shapiro's first budget.

North Whitehall planners discussed proposed housing development Greenleaf Fields at Parkland at their meeting Tuesday.

Warmkessel's legislative priorities include transparency in the board, not raising taxes and "lowering standards" for academics in the district. She says school staff are now "more concerned with kids' pronouns and their feelings" than curriculum.

OAA Orthopaedic Specialists will soon open its second physical therapy location.

Parkland School District may add five full-time and 12 part-time positions next year. A final decision will be made as a part of budget discussions, which will happen in the coming months.

A former pediatrician at Lehigh Valley Health Network's LVPG Pediatrics-Whitehall has been charged after sexual messages with a female minor in Washington Township, Warren County New Jersey

Public Safety Commission member Chris Peischl is running for a seat on the Board of Commissioners. He has worked in Emergency Management Services for the past 30 years and has served in several positions in the Greenawalds Fire Company, including firefighter and assistant chief.

Diane Kelly, the president of South Whitehall commissioners, is running for re-election. She was first elected to the board in 2019 and is the longest-standing member.

Planners recommended approval to the preliminary/final plan for a self-storage facility on Walbert Avenue.

On Thursday, one of the final pieces of timber was placed atop an outer wall of the $47 million, 188,000-square-foot, multi-functional indoor facility under construction at Grange Park.

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.

Plans for 48 apartments, including 40 affordable units, on Calvary Temple's South Whitehall Township property are not ready for approval, township officials said Thursday, but will be soon.