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.

Upper Macungie Township will host a workshop on Tuesday, March 26 to get community input on a new noise ordinance, the law that dictates how much noise businesses and residents can make.

Nowhere Coffee Co. co-owners Juan and Lauren Vargas spoke at the Upper Macungie Township supervisors meeting Thursday about their frustration over what they said was a system not set up for small business owners.

North Whitehall Township will host its first Breakfast with Badges event on Saturday, Feb. 3. The event will have firetrucks and ambulances for kids to touch, educational crafts about fire safety and free cold breakfast items.

Nowhere Coffee Co. co-owner Lauren Vargas said Upper Macungie Township denied a permit for their planned roastery at 1115 Trexlertown Road, citing a zoning violation.

Glasbern, a Lehigh County property known for its historic cottages, antique farmhouse, restored stables and barns and ponds, is now part of the Jaindl Companies, owned by David Jaindl.

Upper Macungie Township will host its first annual Winter Festival at Grange Park 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10.

Nonprofit for vulnerable youth Valley Youth House hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new recreation center at their Orefield-based Camp Fowler.

About 70 new apartments are coming soon to North Whitehall near the intersection of Main Street and Levans Road.

North Whitehall Twp. kitten rescue Foxy's Cradle is changing their operations in an effort to comply with township zoning rules they were found to have violated. They're also preparing for a possible court fight to determine the rescue's future.

Parkland School Board on Tuesday held a hearing regarding a potential addition to the new Operations Center across from Orefield Middle School, which is currently under construction.

ArtsQuest’s Concerts on the Grange, which kicked off last year as a two-day music festival featuring tribute acts to Upper Macungie Township’s Grange Park, this year will expand to four nights of music throughout spring and summer.

North Whitehall Township's Klusaritz Family Farm was recognized at the Pennsylvania Farm Show as one of six farms across the state that had been in the same family for more than 100 years.