Parkland News

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.

Longtime former board member Robert Bold served as board president five times and vice president three times. He would fill the vacancy created by state Sen. Jarrett Coleman's resignation.

Debates in the South Whitehall commissioners race have taken place on the candidate's Facebook pages. The posts have primarily debated candidate Ben Long's positions and campaign style.

Candidates have formed two groups: one made up of mostly incumbents, and the other made up of Republican challengers. Transparency, spending and projected overcrowding in the district's middle and high schools have become key issues in the race.

The budget includes a 2.5% increase to the millage rate, the biggest increase in seven years. The district would still have the lowest millage rate in Lehigh County.

The project promises to connect counties, offer a trail through nature and speed things up for emergency responders — using old railroads.

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is opening to the public on Friday, May 12, with a preview day for season pass-holders on May 7.

The Upper Macungie Board of Supervisors hosted a badge pinning ceremony for two new township police officers.

The plan proposes five four-story apartment buildings with 310 units at the northeast corner of Crackersport Road and the northeast extension of I-476.

Parkland School District Superintendent Mark Madson presented different options to address student population growth at a town hall meeting.

The first of the movies will be 'Hotel Transylvania 3,' which will be shown at Laurys Firehouse Park on May 12 at around 8pm.

The candidates are incumbents Jacob Roth and Diane Kelly, Public Safety Commission member Chris Peischl, local business owner and former commissioner Ben Long and former commissioner Thomas Johns.

The park’s Public Relations and Communications Manager Ryan Eldredge answered specific questions about the policy, such as how it will be enforced, whether there will be chaperone discounts and what caused the policy change.

Proposed housing development Strawberry Acres may need a redesign after North Whitehall planners gave an unfavorable recommendation for a waiver.