Parkland News

A webinar Monday brought together regional planners, engineers and industry leaders to explain how data centers operate and what their growth could mean for local communities.

Democrat Geoffrey Whitcomb intends to campaign for the Lehigh County-based district that Republican Gary Day currently represents. The seat heavily favors Republicans.

The Lehigh County Coroner's Office said the 27-year-old died Saturday night at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest — hours after being shot during a standoff with Pennsylvania State Police in a North Whitehall Township driveway.

Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio announced that a 93-year-old Lower Macungie Township woman died outside her home of hypothermia. She is Lehigh County's first weather-related fatality of 2026.

Residents of South Whitehall Township voiced their opposition to a proposed 5-million-square-foot data center near Parkland High School.

A Lehigh County judge has denied an appeal that sought to clear the way for Nexus 78, a 501,000-square-foot warehouse proposed for North Whitehall Township. The ruling is unlikely to be the last word in the fight over the warehouse's fate.

In its review, the LVPC said the data center proposal lacks specificity needed to fully review the project in Upper Macungie Township.

Upper Macungie's planning commission voted Wednesday to recommend preliminary approval for a planned 203-home development connecting Schantz Road and Bastian Lane.

Parkland High School's planned $68 million, five-building expansion project is expected to begin early in 2026 and be completed by August 2028.

A new hyperscale data center could be on its way to South Whitehall Township, with the 5.1 million square foot Atlas Industrial project set to be constructed right across the street from Parkland High School.

Cetronia Fire Department has a new chief: Ricardo Diaz, who has served the all-volunteer agency for 10 years. Most recently the deputy chief, he was appointed after former chief Jay Heicklen retired on May 1.

Building projects that would address overcrowding in the Parkland School District will cost between $169 million and $391 million, according to a presentation at the school board meeting this week.

The water main broke late Tuesday and service has been restored to residents. Officials say the thoroughfare will reopen later today.

The Parkland School Board renewed a sports medicine and school health needs agreement with St. Luke's after state Sen. Jarrett Coleman urged them not to. He suggested the health network should find better ways to spend the money.

Senator Bob Casey visited the chemical and gas company Air Products at its headquarters. Company engineers took him for a drive in a new hydrogen-powered Toyota.

This week was the South Whitehall Township Emergency Services Youth Camp. The camp teaches youth ages 12 to 16 years old the basics of emergency services.

South Whitehall has a new policy that outlines the process for implementing speed reduction measures in the township.

North Whitehall supervisors granted preliminary/final approval to the plan for housing development Greenleaf Fields at Parkland.

Some parents and residents are asking schools to take books off library shelves. Others want a parental consent policy for children to take out some books.

Upper Macungie supervisors adopted a Vision Zero Action Plan, which has the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities in the township.

Upper Macungie Township is asking for community feedback during its review of the township's zoning ordinance and SALDO.

South Whitehall Commissioner Brad Osborne is launching a new radio show called Good Morning Lehigh Valley on May 30.