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's Zoning Hearing Board will hold a special meeting to discuss the zoning appeal for cat nursery Foxy’s Cradle on Nov. 20.

The three townships in the Parkland School District rejected an agreement to continue to give the district $5 from its Local Services Tax. The district will now lose an estimated $300,000 in revenue.

North Whitehall Township is hosting its second Veterans Day Luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 9. It will take place at the banquet hall of Schnecksville Volunteer Fire Company from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Upper Macungie's proposed 2024 budget does not include a tax increase, but would increase the refuse and recycling fee.

The financially flush campaigns are a stark contrast from traditional school board races, where candidates rarely spent more than $250 while campaigning for the unpaid offices.

South Whitehall Township's proposed 2024 budget does not include a real estate tax increase or an increase of water and sewer fees.

Dorney Park will build a sidewalk along Hamilton Boulevard from Haines Mill Road westward to the park entrance. South Whitehall commissioners also voted to pursue a grant that would fund a safety audit of the corridor to see what other improvements could be added.

Two Republican incumbents, Jacob Roth and Diane Kelly, are teaming up to campaign with township Public Safety Commission member Chris Peischl. Only one Democrat is on the ballot: former commissioner Thomas Johns.

South Whitehall Township hosted a wrap-up meeting for "South Whitehall Landscapes," a plan guiding preservation efforts in the township.

When the Parkland School Board voted to close the district's tax office, it terminated an agreement in which the three townships in the district gave the district $5 from the Local Services Tax.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.