Parkland News

Lauren and Juan Vargas, owners of Nowhere Coffee Co., expect their latest business venture — a roastery and coffee bar in the heart of Allentown — to be operational very soon, they confirmed Wednesday.

An Intro to Fly Fishing class and a Birding Adventure at Trexler Nature Preserve are some of the new recreation programs coming to North Whitehall Township.

Dr. Jay Talsania is an orthopedic hand surgeon at OAA Orthopedic Specialists in Upper Macungie. In April, the physician will head to Guatemala once again to offer free health care to children in the third-world country.

Willow Haven Farm farmer Reuben DeMaster and independent contractor Bill Kuklinski are partnering to open an organic grocery store at 8150 Hamilton Boulevard in Breinigsville.

The chemical odor at Sharp Packaging Solutions that sent 54 employees to the hospital on Friday remains a mystery.

North Whitehall Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended approval to a plan for a business park with a Wawa, an Autozone and a new traffic circle.

The Upper Macungie Planning Commission recommended approval to a plan to expand Americold Logistics' cold storage warehouse. Nearby residents brought a lawyer to express their concerns.

Emergency crews were called to Sharp Packaging Solutions, a pharmaceutical packaging company in Upper Macungie, after some employees became ill Friday afternoon.

Three industrial buildings in Upper Macungie have plans to expand: Americold Logistics' cold storage warehouse, XPO Logistics' trucking terminal and ATAS International's manufacturing facility.

The Parkland School District has been designated as a Great Pennsylvania School through a new initiative of the Pennsylvania School Board Association to recognize high-quality districts across the state.

South Whitehall officials are hosting an open house meeting to solicit resident feedback for the township's draft comprehensive plan. It will serve as a guideline for how the township will grow in the next 10-15 years.

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.

The appeal involves potential open meetings violations.

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.