Parkland News

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

South Whitehall Township will host its first Municipal Open House on Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will have light refreshments, including coffee, hot chocolate and cookies. There will also be giveaways of informational packets and flyers.

A proposed business park in Schnecksville would have an AutoZone along with a Wawa and a medical office building, the developer confirmed Wednesday.

North Whitehall's Planning Commission on Tuesday reviewed a plan for the proposed Rising Sun Subdivision, which would have 116 single-family homes on about 100 Acres.

Upper Macungie Township has announced several new indoor programs for this winter, including Zumba, youth soccer, arts classes and a science camp. Several of these classes have been offered outdoors during other seasons, but have never been offered during the winter months.

The alleged double homicide of 16-year-old Rianna Glass and her mother Rosalyn Glass motivated Parkland School District resident Rachel Farrow to advocate for more education about teen dating violence and abuse.

The South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners is looking to put an open space tax referendum on the November 2024 ballot. Lower Macungie Township recently passed a similar referendum.

Over 1,500 veterans are buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Upper Macungie Township. But last year, only about 1,032 wreaths were placed, leaving hundreds without one.

North Whitehall Township's zoning hearing board opted to continue a meeting until December before making a decision on whether to allow Foxy's Cradle, a neonatal kitten nursey, to operate in the owner's residence.

A decade or so after buying his South Whitehall Township home in the late 1960s, Fred Buse started recording the average temperature, precipitation type and amount, as well as any animal sightings in his backyard to study and track the health of the local environment.

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.

The Parkland School Board stopped short of committing to advertising to fill the vacant seat of Jarrett Coleman, who was elected to the state Senate.

State Senator-elect Jarrett Coleman had previously said he was not going to resign his school board position.