Parkland News

WLVR's Brad Klein spoke with Parkland area reporter Olivia Marble about the issues at play and the atmosphere at the meeting as residents spoke on a proposed recovery house near Cetronia Elementary.

Some spoke about the need for recovery houses, and others spoke about the potential harm it could bring to the children.

South Whitehall residents will likely be able to comment on the proposed recovery house next to Cetronia Elementary at Thursday's hearing. LehighValleyNews.com was invited into a recovery house ahead of the hearing.

North Whitehall staff will begin a trial period of a 9-hour 4-day week on Feb. 20. The municipal office will be closed on Fridays during the trial.

Concerts on the Grange, a two-day music festival featuring tribute acts portraying Elton John, Billy Joel, The Doors and The Grateful Dead, will be May 12-13.

Renovations to the North Whitehall Township municipal building could cost $4.9 million, according to initial plans for the project.

ArtsQuest, the organization that annually presents Musikfest in Bethlehem, has announced it will offer a music festival and other events in Upper Macungie Township this summer.

Upper Macungie Township supervisors granted preliminary approval to a land development plan for three warehouses at 7201 Hamilton Blvd.

South Whitehall commissioners unanimously appointed Capt. Stephen Brown and Lt. Eric Dotter at their meeting Wednesday.

The witnesses spoke about the operations of recovery houses and the proximity to the elementary school.

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.

The new lawmakers from the Lehigh Valley joined more than 50 other new faces who were ceremonially sworn in to the General Assembly in Harrisburg.

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.

Andre Williams owns AW Selvedge and DKShin, denim companies. He is based in the Lehigh Valley. He’s using the skills he honed on the field to dress people. And he said making a sale gives him the feeling of a win.

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.

The sprawling plan in South Whitehall touches on infrastructure and future development in a township that has seen contentious debate over its future in recent years

This development comes six years after voters in South Whitehall voted to allow the township to borrow $600,000 to repair the dam.

South Whitehall Township's Board of Commissioners approved the 2023 budget after making minor changes to the draft budget at their meeting Wednesday.