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.

The USDA report does not include information about which commercial turkey farms were affected, but Jaindl recently reported an outbreak of the disease.

ALDI opened its newest location at 3235 Hamilton Blvd. in South Whitehall Township Thursday.

RDM Group presented a sketch plan for a 49,320 square foot warehouse at the Upper Macungie Township planning commission meeting.

Seeing Eye puppies are bred to be guide dogs for their blind future handler, and in order to do their jobs, they need to be exposed to as many different environments as possible — including the inside of an ambulance.

Michael Wolk resigned from South Whitehall's Board of Commissioners because of his family's decision to relocate.

Republican Jarrett Coleman will replace longtime incumbent Pat Browne as Pennsylvania's 16th District state senator.

The biggest expenditure in the proposed budget is township building renovations, including renovations to the municipal building.

Shankweiler's, the country's oldest drive-in theatre located in Orefield, is under new ownership. It will resume its 2022 season this month, with a grand reopening planned for the spring.

Upper Macungie Township’s proposed 2023 budget does not change the real estate tax. It does includes a $15 increase to the refuse and recycling rate.

The proposed 2023 budget for South Whitehall Township would increase water and sewer bills for residents.

Economy, abortion and the future of democracy in focus as Jill Biden headlines event at Muhlenberg College with US Reps. Susan Wild and Madeleine Dean.

Polls say John Fetterman is neck-and-neck against Mehmet Oz in the race for U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pat Toomey. Fetterman will swing through the Lehigh Valley on Thursday for a canvassing event with U.S. Rep. Susan Wild.