Parkland News

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.

United Natural Foods Inc. operates a distribution center in the North Valley Trade Center in the Schnecksville section of North Whitehall Township. The company says 716 jobs will be affected.

Speeding was so rampant on Center Valley Parkway in Upper Saucon Township that LehighValleyNews.com recorded someone going 95 mph near Promenade Saucon Valley.

South Whitehall Township's board of commissioners are moving ahead with plans for a ballot question that could create a 0.1% income tax to fund open space preservation.

North Whitehall Township’s Board of Supervisors denied land development approval Monday for a broadly opposed 501,000-square-foot warehouse planned for the corner of Route 309 and Orefield Road.

The debut of the $48.5 million Lifestyle Community Center in Upper Macungie Township took another step closer on Thursday afternoon at a walking news conference. The first of 18 heavy timber trusses, imported from Austria, was installed this month on 188,000-square-foot, multi-functional indoor facility.

Gary J. Moyer, 73, of South Whitehall Township, was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 100 block of North 38th Street after suffering gunshot injuries, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said Thursday.

South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners may approve placing a referendum on the November ballot regarding funding to preserve open space.

With the increase, the average taxpayer would see his or her annual property tax bill increase about $13.99 a month, or $168 total from the year before.

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.