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.

Dr. Jay Talsania is an orthopedic hand surgeon at OAA Orthopedic Specialists in Upper Macungie. In April, the physician will head to Guatemala once again to offer free health care to children in the third-world country.

Willow Haven Farm farmer Reuben DeMaster and independent contractor Bill Kuklinski are partnering to open an organic grocery store at 8150 Hamilton Boulevard in Breinigsville.

The chemical odor at Sharp Packaging Solutions that sent 54 employees to the hospital on Friday remains a mystery.

North Whitehall Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended approval to a plan for a business park with a Wawa, an Autozone and a new traffic circle.

The Upper Macungie Planning Commission recommended approval to a plan to expand Americold Logistics' cold storage warehouse. Nearby residents brought a lawyer to express their concerns.

Emergency crews were called to Sharp Packaging Solutions, a pharmaceutical packaging company in Upper Macungie, after some employees became ill Friday afternoon.

Three industrial buildings in Upper Macungie have plans to expand: Americold Logistics' cold storage warehouse, XPO Logistics' trucking terminal and ATAS International's manufacturing facility.

The Parkland School District has been designated as a Great Pennsylvania School through a new initiative of the Pennsylvania School Board Association to recognize high-quality districts across the state.

As Foxy's Cradle celebrated the last batch of kittens aging out of the incubators, volunteers are looking forward to fundraising and the premier of their RV in the spring.

The National Weather Service issued the warning Saturday afternoon for parts of Lehigh and Northampton counties, extending into Carbon County.

Some areas reported almost 14 inches of snow, with flakes the size of cotton balls. Other areas got just a few inches. Said a National Weather Service meteorologist: 'I completely understand the shock factor.'

Dorney Park is hosting a special preview event in anticipation of Iron Menace's premier, with proceeds from ticket sales benefitting Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital.