Parkland News

A sketch plan for a new housing development called Estates at Woodmere was presented to the planning commission Wednesday.

Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat of Pennsylvania (SIJPA) is in the process of building a new mosque at the Al-Ahad Islamic Center.

Parkland School Board Vice President Marisa Ziegler announced her reelection campaign Tuesday.

Sunny Ghai will be the new chair starting in February. He campaigned for the board as a smart growth candidate.

At the latest hearing for the proposed facility, both witnesses spoke about the need for recovery houses. "There's as much effort being made to get the drugs out there as to keep them also on the down-low, very silenced, so no one really can tell. And they're attacking our young population.” Julissa Pena, a witness for the applicant said.

The board may have violated transparency laws because key discussions about filling a vacancy did not happen in public, according to Melissa Melewsky, in-house counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.

The Parkland School Board voted 7-1 to appoint a longtime former board member to fill the vacant seat.

Jarrett Coleman initially planned to stay on as a Parkland School Board member while simultaneously serving in the state Senate. He changed course last month. Good government advocates say such an arrangement creates the potential for conflicts of interest.

Three South Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board members cannot attend meetings in the coming months, so the board appointed a hearing officer. It will allow the board to legally meet a required quorum.

South Whitehall Twp. commissioners are seeking applicants for vacant alternate seats on the Zoning Hearing Board.

With just one incumbent seeking re-election, Lehigh County voters are guaranteed to place three newcomers on the Lehigh County Board of Elections this November.

Foxy's Cradle cat nursery is to appeal a code notice to North Whitehall Township that its operation was unpermitted. The owners of the nonprofit, which raises orphaned and neonatal cats, is seeking a special exemption to continue the operation, taking to Facebook to garner public support in advance of the meeting.

A seat on the Upper Macungie Township Board of Supervisors is up for election on Nov. 7. The candidates are Democrat Jeff Fleischaker, an attorney, and Republican Greg Wheeler, an emergency medicine doctor.

Barktoberfest at Grange Park will be held this Sunday after the forecast predicted rain all afternoon Saturday.

League of Women Voters Lehigh County held a candidate forum for Parkland School Board candidates. The slate running on the Republican ticket did not attend.

The Upper Macungie Planning Commission will discuss a plan for a manufacturing facility at 110 PA Route 100. A 150,000-square-foot warehouse has been proposed at the same site.

A proposal for a 150,000-square-foot warehouse may move forward in a compromise between Upper Macungie Township, warehouse developer Prologis and nearby hotel Fairfield Inn & Suites.

Pennsylvania State Police say officials have been unable to determine what caused eight children and five adults to become sick at the Lehigh Valley Children's Center on Park Avenue on Wednesday. Air quality tests are scheduled.

Six of the nine seats on the Parkland School Board are up for election. Two opposing candidate groups will face off on Nov. 7.

The organization has supported children with cancer insuring they have an angel watching over them.

St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Emmaus is proposing a move to South Whitehall. Father Joseph Landino said the church is looking to expand after many new parishioners started attending.

The third annual Fall Fest at Covered Bridge Park is coming to South Whitehall. It will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m Oct. 7.