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.

Two phases of the Ridge Farms land development project were given extensions by the South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners.

In June, North Whitehall supervisors rejected plans for a 500,000-square-foot warehouse called Nexus 78. The proposal could return from the dead, after developers filed a land use appeal in Lehigh County Court.

Lehigh Country Controller Mark Pinsley criticized President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie for gutting the social safety net and Democratic leaders for failing to offer effective resistance.

Mark Pinsley is the fourth Democrat to challenge Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie in the Lehigh Valley's battleground district in the 2026 midterm.

South Whitehall Township commissioners on Wednesday approved an ordinance that asks to add a ballot question requesting a tax increase intended to help support the preservation of open spaces.

The Trump administration announced in late June that it would not pay out more than $6 billion allocated through six grant programs created by Congress. For Parkland School District, that works out to $410,000 in lost funding.

The crash occurred Friday at Route 100 and West Tilghman Street in Upper Macungie Township.

South Whitehall Township's planning commission voted Thursday to delay a vote to approve Parkland High School's planned expansion. Township staff gave the school district plenty to do before they return to seek land development approval.

The 24-year-old woman “exited the vehicle while it was moving after an altercation with the driver,” according to the Lehigh County coroner.

The victim, a resident of Upper Macungie Township, was operating the e-bike when it was involved with a collision with another vehicle in Upper Macungie, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office.

Parkland School District locked down its $248 million 2025-26 budget on June 17, and despite a 4% tax increase, all board members approved.

Upper Macungie Township planners Monday reviewed and ultimately seemed in approval of plans to allow trailer access alterations for an Amazon fulfilment center.