Whitehall City Council in a split vote approved tax abatements for a planned housing development last month hundreds of residents have signed petitions to put several referendums on the November ballot that would give voters the chance to decide if the developer should get those tax breaks and what kind of development should go in that area it is essentially taking money that would have gone to city services,” said Whitehall resident Holly Stein who helped lead the referendum charge against the Fairway Cliffs development and other residents collected some 430 signatures in just 10 days – far exceeding the needed 283 signatures to get four referendums on the ballot Though it remains to be seen if the Franklin County Board of Elections will certify all of those signatures Whitehall City Attorney Brad Nicodemus said he received a copy of the petitions and expects to hear back from the board of elections by next week Fairway Cliffs would build just under 50 houses in a dense development off Fairway Boulevard Development plans also call for the creation of a more than 7-acre community park Residents attended Whitehall City Council meetings with concerns about the development itself and about several tax incentives that were eventually promised to the project’s developer Those include a 15-year exemption from property taxes a special assessment equivalent to the real property tax would be levied on the development Those funds would be used for public infrastructure and payments in place of property taxes to Whitehall City Schools Starting in year 16, property taxes would be placed into a tax increment financing fund that could be used to maintain public infrastructure in the housing development and the community park, according to the original plans for the development on the city of Whitehall’s website. At their April 15 meeting, Whitehall City Council members Devin Brown, Lori Elmore, Amy Harcar, and Amy Smith voted to approve those tax abatements Council members Larry Morrison and Gerald Dixon voted no residents had 20 days to petition for a referendum They began Easter weekend and organized drive-through signature events to optimize the process “They already were informed about what they were coming to do the outcome was what you wanted,” Stein said Three of the referendums relate to ordinances passed by the Whitehall City Council The fourth is a new ordinance written by Whitehall citizens that would create a new zoning district for the Fairway Boulevard area that would limit future uses “We understand that there will be development in the future and what we're trying to do is write the requirements,” Stein said “We reinforce our zoning code interpretations and also do a protection of what size lots you are able to build on.” also looks to protect large trees and put a moratorium on development in the area until the November election Stein said residents have already made it clear that the proposed development is “not wanted or needed in the community.” She said the situation has also mobilized community members who previously were not involved in local government “I think the thing that we've learned the most through this as a community is don't accept answers that seem to be given to you,” Stein said — A Whitehall faith-based continuing-care retirement community has announced plans to build three luxury apartment buildings on its 67-acre campus Fellowship Community announced on Friday its expansion plans for Mauch Chunk Road and Schadt Avenue Each of the buildings at The Suites at Fellowship Community would include 24 apartments ranging in size from 1,050 to 1,450 square feet and featuring smart home technology Fellowship Community Chief Executive Officer Mary Kay McMahon said the organization already has a wait list for its independent living townhomes and apartments “Creating a much-needed expansion is our solution to provide an opportunity for others to enjoy living at Fellowship Community,” McMahon said Groundbreaking for the first building at the independent retirement community is expected this summer Plans include a Maker’s Space for artists and craftsmen as well as a theater for movies and performances Fellowship Community Vice President of Independent Living Laura Long said the new living spaces will let people select finishes “People are eager to move into a brand-new apartment where they can create a home that’s perfect for them,” Long said The Suites at Fellowship Community also will feature community clubrooms where residents can gather hold meetings or celebrate special occasions Apartment options include one-bedroom with a den and 1 1/2 baths two-bedroom with two baths and two-bedroom plus a den with two baths “Our expansion will meet the Lehigh Valley’s high demand and accommodate our extensive waitlist all while achieving our goal of mission-driven growth,” McMahon said Fellowship Community has provided senior living for more than 30 years short-term rehabilitation and memory support 2025 3:03PMA crash in the Lehigh Valley injured two people and led to an hours-long shutdown of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP. (WPVI) -- A crash in the Lehigh Valley injured two people and led to an hours-long shutdown of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike It happened in the northbound lanes in South Whitehall Township just after 10 p.m One person was thrown onto the road when the vehicles collided Action News is working to learn the extent of the injuries to both victims Cloudy with more rounds of showers and possibly some downpours or a t-storm A pickup truck that crashed into the side of a tractor trailer became pinned underneath it - A pickup truck that crashed into the side of a tractor trailer became pinned underneath it on Saturday morning The accident occurred in the parking lot of a Wells Fargo Bank on West Tilghman Street in Allentown around 10:30 a.m. South Whitehall police say that the pickup truck drove into the tractor trailer The driver of the pick up truck has been transported to the hospital and there is no word at this time on how serious their injuries are The parking lot where the incident took place is now clear Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device A Columbus man who owned a car dealership in Whitehall has been indicted by a federal grand jury for altering the odometers on vehicles he sold the U.S Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced was indicted on April 24 on eight counts of odometer fraud in Whitehall — which is now listed as permanently closed on Google — "knowingly disconnected and altered" the registered mileage on vehicles that he sold between November 2020 and May 2022 Nwaru intentionally reduced the mileage on some vehicles by approximately 80,000 miles to 100,000 miles Odometer fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to three years in prison on Google gave the dealership a 1.5 out of 5 stars with many of the complaints involving titles not delivered to customers and customers being told their vehicles had clean titles when they were actually salvage vehicle titles said in a post three years ago: "Don't recommend unless you run CarFax on every vehicle .. Can't believe they really tried to sell us a Tundra with 279k Miles as a 120k miles I don't know how (or) what they used to run the miles back but CarFax showed last sold was December of 2021 had 279k miles I showed to the guy (and) he said sorry about that." Two other central Ohio car dealerships were sued by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office in January for altering odometer readings. The two dealerships are accused of rolling back the odometers on vehicles they sold and failing to turn over titles to dozens of customers who purchased vehicles, The Dispatch previously reported. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that there are more than 450,000 vehicles sold each year that have false odometer readings. According to the NHTSA the crime costs consumers more than $1 billion annually Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky Ohio (WSYX) — A federal grand jury indicted a former Whitehall car dealership owner Thursday for allegedly rolling back odometers on used vehicles significantly lowering their mileage before resale faces eight counts of odometer fraud stemming from his time operating S The indictment alleges that between November 2020 and May 2022 Nwaru tampered with odometers on multiple vehicles reducing their mileage by approximately 80,000 to 100,000 miles each before selling them to unsuspecting buyers carrying a maximum penalty of three years in prison per count NHTSA estimates odometer fraud costs American consumers over $1 billion annually. Officials encourage anyone with information to report suspected fraud by contacting odometerfraud@dot.gov or calling 800-424-9393 At least one resident vows to keep fighting even though Whitehall City Council has approved a trio of tax incentives for a controversial townhome development over residents' objections that it will divert city tax money from essential city services Council members voted 4-2 with one abstention on April 15 to redirect some property taxes to reimburse the developer of a proposed 50-townhome development called Fairway Cliffs for public improvements such as roads and water and sewer infrastructure Developer JDS Companies has proposed building the development on a 10.27-acre site along Fairway Boulevard about 3.8 acres of the eastern parcel would become a city park along Big Walnut Creek Residents packed city council chambers to voice their objections to the tax incentives — as they have been doing for months — because they would divert money from city services residents also objected to the overall development saying it is too dense and inappropriate in a neighborhood of single-family homes who is running for a city council seat and has fought against the project since its 2023 proposal told council members that residents are pleading with them to hear their concerns "At what point do you care more about the people you represent than you do about the people that aren't even here namely the developer and the potential future residents," she said Do you even bother to look up when we are speaking Council members Devin Brown and Lori Elmore said that while the council members hear the residents they must do what is best for the entire community "Sometimes what's in the best interest of the city may not be what's in the best interest of a person or several people," Elmore said Fairway Cliffs would be Whitehall's first new housing development in more than 20 years While one incentive gives the development a 100% property tax abatement for 15 years another would levy an assessment on property owners for that same period that roughly equals the abated property taxes Once the first two incentives end after 15 years called a tax increment financing incentive district The TIF would direct some property taxes into a fund to maintain public infrastructure related to the housing development Stein said after the meeting that residents would continue to fight by seeking a referendum which would place the incentives on an upcoming election ballot for Whitehall residents "We have a little bit more work to do," Stein said but the work is to go ahead and get the required number of signatures on a petition and make sure that that is fully vetted so that we can bring this vote not to the council but to the actual people and that's what we have always wanted from this point." Stein is a candidate for the Ward 4 seat on Whitehall City Council on the November ballot. However, the city council and another council member are challenging a decision by the Franklin County Board of Elections to leave Stein on the ballot in a complaint to the Ohio Supreme Court The plaintiffs say Stein has not lived in Whitehall for a long enough consecutive period to meet the city charter's residency requirement to hold office Stein argues the city charter language is not specific and that she meets the two years required Whitehall council approves resolutions supporting immigrant rights and proclaiming the city a safe haven for LGBTQIA+In other action, City Council members also approved resolutions supporting immigrant rights and proclaiming the city a safe haven for the LGBTQIA+ community. The resolution on immigrant rights states that the city will not impede access to essential services housing and employment based on immigration status and will uphold the constitutional rights of all residents that the city condemns conversion therapy practices within its jurisdiction; respects the right of the trans/nonbinary community to use the bathroom that matches their gender expression in municipal buildings; and protects access to lawful gender-affirming health care That resolution also states Whitehall will not criminally prosecute or impose administrative penalties on any person or organization for providing seeking or receiving gender-affirming care or assisting another person seeking or receiving gender-affirming health care Eastern suburbs reporter Maria DeVito can be reached at mdevito@dispatch.com and @mariadevito13.dispatch.com on Bluesky and @MariaDeVito13 on X the Zephyrs outscored their next three opponents by a combined score of 47-6 to make it a five-game winning streak “I think we’ve worked really hard this past week,” Laub said Coach (Jeff Vivian) knew that we needed to just prepare for these upcoming games We’re here with the catchers focusing on what’s going to work for this game as we already saw this team We needed to execute out here and I think we did that very well today.” Laub didn’t allow a Trojan baserunner to reach third on the day The junior recorded three strikeouts and only allowed one walk her movement and her speed and now she’s starting to be able to change speeds She’s really coming along,” Whitehall coach Jeff Vivian said of Laub Parkland was able to get a pair of runners on base in the each the fourth and fifth innings Laub posted a strikeout to end the scoring chance in the fourth The pitcher produced back-to-back flyouts to finish off the fifth frame The Trojans got a two-out single from senior first baseman Emma Kushner in the seventh inning but Laub followed with her third strikeout to end the game Sophomore first baseman Jules Muth gave Whitehall a 1-0 lead with an RBI single into right field in the third inning The Zephyrs, who was ranked No. 6 in this week’s lehighvalleylive.com rankings got their first two batters on base in the top of the fourth inning on singles by sophomore catcher Amiya Espinal and senior center fielder Paige Tacker Following a sacrifice bunt laid down by junior second baseman Molly McFetridge senior third baseman Isabella Muth drove in a run with a sacrifice fly Whitehall senior right fielder Nya Brown, the reigning lehighvalleylive.com EPC Star of the Week extended the advantage to 3-0 with an RBI single into center field Jules Muth went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Zephyrs who won their sixth consecutive game to improve their overall record to 12-5 “This is a really big win,” Jules Muth said Senior left fielder Aryanna Donlon added a pair of hits for Whitehall “I think we’re making our adjustments when we need to,” Donlon said of the Zephyrs’ winning streak Senior pitcher Allison Hunsberger struck out three walked one batter and allowed two earned runs for the Trojans Give her all the credit in the world,” Parkland coach Barry Search said of the Whitehall pitcher “She’s done a great job and she’s done a great job all year Junior shortstop Elizabeth Pinkham went 2-for-3 for Parkland Wednesday’s matchup was much different than when Whitehall and Parkland played earlier this season The Zephyrs scored five runs in the sixth inning and rallied for a 13-11 home victory over the Trojans on March 26 “I think just knowing what batters did previously and where they might have hit it and what their strengths are and just doing the opposite,” Laub said about Wednesday’s much stronger performance than her previous outing against Parkland “Finding what works best and getting into the groove finding what pitches are going to work and what pitch calls coach is going to call Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a subscription Josh Folck may be reached at jfolck@lehighvalleylive.com Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices 1/22Parkland softball hosts Whitehall on April 30, 2025.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Josh Folck | For lehighvalleylive.comOur high sports photos Check them out by clicking anywhere in the collage to open the photo gallery Don’t forget to share the gallery with friends and family These photos are available for purchase in a variety of sizes and finishes – click the blue “GET PHOTO” link below any photo to see available options and make a purchase Lehighvalleylive.com subscribers can also get free print-quality digital downloads of any image Note: We are trying to make these galleries available as quickly as possible you are likely seeing an early version and more images will be added later Please return and refresh the page to see additions Mobile users: For the best experience downloading high-resolution images (free and available to subscribers only) or making photo purchases visit this page from a desktop or laptop computer The lehighvalleylive.com high school sports newsletter is appearing in mailboxes weekly. Sign up now Follow us on social: Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram which organises the annual golf tournament Senior Whitehall officials have asked golf bosses whether they can host the 2028 Open championship at Donald Trump’s Turnberry course after repeated requests from the US president Officials had asked senior people at the R&A which organises the world’s oldest major golf championship what the hurdles would be to hosting the 2028 Open at Turnberry One source described the talks as direct lobbying from the government although others said officials had asked about hypothetical problems with the idea One person with knowledge of the discussions said: “The government is doing everything it can to get close to Trump One concrete thing is that the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) have been involved in pushing for the Open to return to Trump-owned Turnberry.” Both the DCMS and Trump Turnberry declined to comment Two other people briefed on conversations between the US president and Keir Starmer said Trump had asked the prime minister multiple times about hosting the Open at Turnberry which the Trump Organization has owned since 2014 Trump has previously lobbied publicly to host the Open at the Ayrshire course saying in 2023: “Everybody wants to see the Open championship here.” King Charles acknowledged the course’s importance to Trump when he wrote to him offering a visit to one of his Scottish estates should the president already be in the country visiting Turnberry Hosting the Open could provide a welcome financial boost for SLC Turnberry having made £571,000 in the previous year – its only profit in 10 years The R&A has a list of nine or 10 historic courses it would consider for hosting the Open including famous venues such as St Andrews and Royal Birkdale However golf experts point out that the event has grown substantially since then While the 2009 Open attracted 123,000 people the event at Royal Troon last year was attended by over 250,000 The R&A previously said it would not host the tournament at Turnberry in the wake of the January 6 attack by Trump supporters on the Capitol in 2021 said he did not want “media noise” detracting from the game Since then however the R&A has changed leadership. And in an apparent shift of position Mark Darbon, the new chief executive, said last week he would like to see the championship return to Turnberry “at some point” Those briefed on the discussions between government officials and the R&A say they have mainly focused on the logistical challenges to hosting the Open at Turnberry They said the main problems would be getting the sheer number of spectators in and out of the site by road given Turnberry is a two-and-a-half hour train trip from Glasgow there are definitely some logistical and commercial challenges that we face around the road We’re doing some feasibility work around what it would look like to return to that venue and the investment that it would require.” One minister told the Financial Times earlier this year the venue would need “tens of millions of pounds of investment” to make it easier to reach and to provide enough high-quality hotel accommodation in the area A spokesperson for R&A said: “We regularly engage with government and local government regarding venues We have explained the logistical challenges around Turnberry to the government and they are aware of the position.” Ohio (WSYX) — A capacity crowd filled Whitehall City Hall last night as residents gathered to voice their opinions on several high-profile issues during the city council meeting city officials distributed colored wristbands and rotated groups of community members in and out to ensure everyone had an opportunity to participate The agenda included second readings of legislation aimed at declaring Whitehall a "Welcoming and Supportive City" for immigrants and a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community Both measures attracted significant public interest and passionate commentary Additionally, the council considered the third reading of legislation related to the controversial Fairway Cliffs development project The ordinances involved the creation of a community authority and the approval of a tax abatement for the project One resident showed opposition to the development project "My husband and I have written to various council members in regards to expressing our trepidation in regards to the Fairway Cliffs Development." All three ordinances related to the Fairway Cliffs development narrowly passed Whitehall City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a proposed trio of tax incentives for a controversial townhome development that has angered some residents because it would divert tax money from city services Developer JDS Companies has proposed building 50 townhomes on a 10.27-acre site along Fairway Boulevard that's split between a smaller parcel on the west side of the roadway and a larger parcel to the east about 3.8 acres of the eastern parcel would be developed into a city park along Big Walnut Creek said Whitehall Economic Development Director Joe Long would be Whitehall's first new housing development in more than 20 years The city has proposed a series of tax incentives that would redirect some property taxes toward public improvements While one incentive would give the development a 100% property tax abatement for 15 years another would levy an assessment on property owners for that same time period that would be roughly equal to the property taxes being abated "That allows for not only the reimbursement to the developer for any public improvements that they paid for upfront but it also allows the project to give funds to the (Whitehall) school district a third incentive called a tax increment financing incentive district That TIF would direct a portion of property taxes into a fund to maintain public infrastructure related to the housing development By the city providing these incentives to reimburse for public improvements,Long said the developer can increase the quality of the townhomes and give the land for a public park that the entire Whitehall community can enjoy it would be hard to kind of make it work as a for-sale product and then they would want to keep the park as a private amenity for just those folks who are in the development," he said But many Whitehall residents are not supportive of the tax incentives or the development plan for the site which has led to standing-room-only city council meetings as people voice their opposition "I think the reason why is because people are upset because they think they're being taken advantage of," said Whitehall resident Holly Stein who has fought against the project since it was initially proposed in 2023 Stein said there are numerous reasons why Whitehall residents are against the Fairway Cliffs development such as the density and appropriateness of the townhomes in a neighborhood of single-family homes But the biggest reason is the tax incentives which will divert money from city services why are we providing those tax-abated funds to them Stein is a candidate for a ward seat on Whitehall City Council on the November ballot. However, the city council and another council candidate are challenging a decision by the Franklin County Board of Elections to leave Stein on the ballot in a complaint to the Ohio Supreme Court The plaintiffs argue Stein has not lived in Whitehall for a long enough consecutive period of time to meet the city charter's residency requirement to hold office Eastern suburbs Reporter Maria DeVito can be reached at mdevito@dispatch.com and @mariadevito13.dispatch.com on Bluesky and @MariaDeVito13 on X The Muskegon boys 400 relay team crosses the finish line at the GMAA city track and field invite (Photo courtesy of Jordan VanDyke)Jordan VanDyke .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Josh VanDyke | jvandyke@mlive.comMUSKEGON MI – It might not bring the same jubilation as winning a state championship but local bragging rights often leave a lasting legacy of their own The Greater Muskegon Athletic Association track and field invitational has cultivated countless memorable performances over the years as athletes from across Muskegon County have gathered in early May of each spring to test themselves against their neighbors This year’s edition of the local showcase provided plenty of noteworthy results and incredible individual performances as the Whitehall boys track team won its fourth consecutive GMAA city title while the Mona Shores girls track team secured back-to-back GMAA city titles Below are the final results from the GMAA Track and Field Invite Follow Josh VanDyke on Twitter and Facebook for more West Michigan sports content If you would like your local high school sports news delivered free to your inbox daily, click here and sign up for one of our local high school sports newsletters Love reading about local sports? Don’t miss any of the excitement from the season ahead. Purchase your subscription and get full access to every story on MLive Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site Ad Choices — On a night when Whitehall-Coplay School Board unanimously approved the district’s $103 million budget for 2025-26 some taxpayers held tight their wallets and pocketbooks Board members told angry residents at Monday’s meeting the 5.3% property tax increase is merely a working figure that allows the board to proceed with the work of finalizing the budget Yet the number has outraged many residents who say they can't afford yet another tax hike particularly on top of a combined 7.4% increase the past two years “My son has been out of school for 27 years here but I’m still paying school taxes,” resident Patricia Beveridge said during the public comment part of the meeting How can you expect seniors to have a 5.3% increase Why can’t there be something on the ballot “I’m thinking about moving out of Whitehall.” Said another resident: “A tax increase has to be refuted The final budget presentation will be made at the board’s finance committee meeting at 5 p.m Adoption of the final budget will be June 9 School board member George Williams tried to allay residents' concerns by explaining the 5.3% figure is not a final number “The 5.3% number is used because of the Act 1 Index,” Williams said The Act 1 Index is a state law that limits the school district property tax increase to no more than 5.3% without a special exception or a referendum vote The school district’s current property tax rate is 21.6898 mills meaning the owner of a home valued at $100,000 for tax purposes pays about $2,169 in property tax A 5.3% increase would raise the millage to 22.8394 meaning the owner of the same home would pay about $115 more a year A 1% tax increase equals $504,000 in tax revenue Last year’s budget included a tax increase of 4.5% The budget is $103,244,433 — an increase of $7.54 million over last year’s budget it would result in a spending shortfall of $6,909,229 Board member Joseph Shields shared information from a report in The Philadelphia Inquirer that showed that Whitehall-Coplay School District ranks 408th of 499 school districts in Pennsylvania in per-student funding “Our district is severely underfunded,” board member George Makhoul told those in attendance A resident suggested the school board institute a salary freeze to limit the amount of increased tax burden “I think it’s unfair to freeze salaries,” Makhoul said “If you understood what teachers and administrators go through on a daily basis and what we have to do to keep them here so they don’t leave for other districts to get $15,000 more a year.” the school board approved a bond resolution to fund various capital improvement projects The adoption of the resolution for the issuance of the school district’s General Obligation bonds is for no more than $5,500,000 The bonds will be used in part to plan and construct a new elementary school upgrade and renovate Steckel Elementary School and the middle school renovate and construct other capital improvements to school facilities and buildings owned by the district and pay the costs and expenses related to the issuance of the bonds TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need For the wheels on the bus to go ’round and ’round someone needs to start the engine and steer To the misfortune of school districts across the country people willing to step up to the task are becoming fewer and further between causing superintendents — including Baldwin-Whitehall’s Randal Lutz — to scramble for solutions ‘Have you tried everything?’ – I’ve tried everything I know how to do,” he said we’re starting to think of things that we’ve really not thought about in the past It’s time to think differently.” So he and his colleagues developed a project called Rolling Into the Future: High School CDL Bus Driver Program through which students can obtain commercial driver’s licenses with the hope that they use their new skills on local thoroughfares “We know kids are going to college and the military but some are ready to go right to the workforce,” Lutz said “Could we be doing something different as far as workforce development Rolling Into the Future’s viability is predicated on establishing partnerships outside of Baldwin-Whitehall “Maybe we can team up with someone who does this type of training or this type of development and to really start thinking about our training model differently our recruitment differently,” he said the project received a boost with a $10,143 Neighborhood Learning Grant from the Grable Foundation The foundation is working with nonprofit education advocate Digital Promise and its League of Innovative Schools – a coalition of more than 150 districts in 34 states Baldwin-Whitehall included – to connect members nationwide have become labs for innovation,” Grable communications officer Ryan Rydzewski said but it’s that boldness and willingness to experiment that has led to some really amazing progress.” A novel aspect of Rolling Into the Future is its “grow-your-own approach according to Baldwin-Whitehall’s grant request “ensuring a steady pipeline of trained drivers who are already familiar with the school district and invested in the community.” Lutz is a lifelong member of the community as a 1986 Baldwin High School graduate and resident of Baldwin Borough he’s particularly well-acquainted with the local decline in the number of people who want to drive buses “They were looking for part-time work back in the day and this has grown to be much more than just part-time work “They’re getting about seven or seven-and-a-half hours but there’s a three-hour window in between So it’s almost taking 10 or 11 hours to get a decent shift and it’s not necessarily desirable any longer.” While Rolling Into the Future has the potential for offering a solution “Who knows where it’s going to go,” Lutz acknowledge “but it’s worth a shot.” The idea was pitched to other League of Innovative Schools member districts and those with an interest in partnering with Baldwin-Whitehall are to submit their applications by April 21 “Digital Promise will play the role of matchmaker and the results of all ensuing partnerships will be shared next spring at the organization’s annual meeting: “Here’s what we achieved And if this is something you want to replicate here are the steps you’d need to take Here are the resources you could take advantage of We’re really excited to see where it leads.” He expressed similar enthusiasm about Rolling Into the Future especially with regard to students learning how to navigate the tricky topography of suburban Pittsburgh “I don’t know what the training will look like,” Rydzewski said “But I would imagine if these kids could become bus drivers here Stay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE 1-800-909-8742 © 2025 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved About Us Advertise Career Opportunities Contact Advertising Contact Circulation Contact Newsroom Contact Us Feedback Request Correction Resource Center Scholarship Opportunities Send Letter to the Editor Send News Tip Subscribe Subscriber Services Blog eFeatures Email Newsletters eTrib Facebook Home Delivery Instagram LinkedIn Marketing Minute Store Locations TribLIVE App - App Store TribLIVE App - Google Play X (formerly Twitter) Arts & Entertainment Best of the Best Business Directory Circulars Contests Coronavirus Lifestyles Local News YaJagOff Obituaries Opinion Our Publications Photos Real Estate Sports Video Weather Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Service While four Whitehall City Council ward seats are up for election this fall only Ward 2 has a contested primary on May 6 with three first-time candidates Two of three primary candidates for Whitehall City Council's Ward 2 seat will advance to the November election Voters may choose one candidate in the primary The information below was supplied by candidates responding to a questionnaire Campaign website: Facebook page Key issues: Working to update roads and infrastructure and promoting fiscal responsibility Background: A firefighter/medic for 22 years he has spent the last 10 years in roles leading others responsible for overseeing several projects and programs in his current duties that require setting goals and overseeing the resources to carry them out He is a graduate of Whitehall Yearling High School and has an AAS degree in Fire Science from Columbus State Community College He holds various fire- and EMS-related job certifications "I'm the best candidate for Whitehall Ward 2 because I have the leadership experience and community focus this ward needs organized programs and brought people together to get things done I don't just talk about solutions — I take action managing resources wisely or navigating complex issues I have the skills and mindset to deliver for our community transparent communication and putting people first I've spent the last decade making systems work better for everyone proper city growth and improving city services Background: Served in the United States Navy Has many years of experience managing people and processes to deliver and exceed desired results Several years of experience serving on different committees in the workplace as recently as 2024 when he represented his current employer on a workplace/employee improvement committee McCann is currently employed as a land surveyor "I believe that I can represent the people of my ward in a better manner because I know how important it is to listen assess and then act accordingly to achieve the best result I have lived in the community of Whitehall for many years and have observed how often the voice of the citizen has been ignored Many years of experience working with profit and loss in the workplace have allowed me to become more aware of the reasons for waste I have many years of experience in working together with others who may have diverse opinions or do not always agree with me We must remember that we are not up there for ourselves; we are representing the public and what they deem is best for their community." Campaign website: Facebook page Key issues: Economic empowerment and stability Her goals are to ensure that all residents have access to high-paying jobs nutritious food and the ability to afford their housing Background: Educator and a graduate of The Ohio State University she has lived in Franklin County for 31 years and in Whitehall for 16 years This is her first time running for Whitehall City Council and live well in the city where they reside and I want to continue that as the next Whitehall City Council Member." BUTTE — Officials with a nonprofit based in Helena are informing parents in Whitehall that the local Head Start will shutter when funding dries up in June "Hard to imagine...I was just a little guy with long blond hair and pop-bottle glasses My safe place was at Head Start," says Zach Zitnik a father and foster parent of Whitehall Head Start children Zitnik joined about 20 other people gathered April 15 at the Whitehall library in support of the early childhood education program that helps America's most vulnerable young children to succeed in school and in life beyond school Officials with Rocky Mountain Development Council the nonprofit that manages the Whitehall Head Start program say the program is facing funding challenges due to changes at the federal level "Our program is currently facing significant funding challenges due to changes at the federal level These changes are impacting Head Start programs across the country and are not the result of anything our local program or families have done wrong," says Ashley Pena-Larsen "As much as we would love to be able to stay it’s time for us to go," says Jaymie Hazel the family and community partnerships manager for Rocky Mountain Development Council and high operational costs are some of the reasons for the proposed closure Other factors include maintaining qualified staff and higher needs for the program in Helena Whitehall is the only Head Start within the Rocky Mountain Development Council's region that will close but according to a recent report in USA Today Head Start organizations across the nation are in danger of closing "There was potential information that had been received that Head Start was no longer going to be funded after the fiscal year 2026 and that is under the President’s wish list we all know that Congress is the one that ultimately makes those decisions," says Pena-Larsen six regional Head Start offices have been eliminated nationwide according to a running list of Health and Human Services offices that shows hundreds of federal organizations that have been eliminated entirely or reduced to the point of non-functionality Montana’s Head Start regional office that is located in Denver is not on that list Pena-Larson encouraged the group to pursue opening their own facility that mirrors Head Start "So because Head Start is a very microcosm of your community tiny component and if you can privately fund and operate a facility that does something similar you actually have the ability to open this up to everyone in your community," says Pena-Larsen but one jumped on the idea of opening a facility that is like Head Start The board will hold a vote on the proposed closure at its upcoming meeting the funding earmarked for Whitehall will be moved to Helena 2025The break on the eight-inch line shut off water to the municipal buildings and some residents who live nearby.SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP. (WPVI) -- A water main break in Lehigh County is causing traffic and water problems Tuesday on Ridgeview Drive in South Whitehall Township The break on the eight-inch line shut off water to the municipal buildings It has also shut down Ridgeview drive between Walbert Avenue and Parkland drive until work can be completed NY (WRGB) — The Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrested five individuals Wednesday as part of an investigation by the Sheriff’s Office that determined the subjects were involved in the sales of narcotics in the Village of Whitehall A Search Warrant was conducted at 4 Main Street where methamphetamine and crack cocaine were seized along with other evidence relating to the distribution of narcotics was arrested on an Arrest Warrant issued by Washington County Court after a Grand Jury Indictment for two (2) counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree as a result of an Investigation the was conducted by the Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police Brown was also charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 5th Degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree and Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the 2nd Degree was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree was also charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the 2nd Degree was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree Brown was arraigned in Washington County Court and held without bail All others were arraigned in Centralized Arraignment and released on their own recognizance The Franklin County Board of Elections has rejected challenges to two local city council candidates and allowed both to stay in their races this year After hearing evidence from the challengers and candidates, the four-member elections board voted Monday in favor of Columbus District 7 candidate Tiara Ross and Whitehall Ward 4 candidate Holly A Ross will appear on the May 6 primary ballot and Stein will appear on the Nov 4 general election ballot since not enough candidates filed for the Whitehall Council Ward 4 seat to necessitate a primary Ross and her attorney presented a binder full of evidence that she moved from her grandparents' home in Reynoldsburg to a downtown Columbus apartment in the days before May 6 Ross’ evidence included her Columbus apartment lease beginning May 3 2024 and an agreement to hire movers on May 5 she has been an assistant city attorney for the City of Columbus serving the residents of Columbus as a deputy chief zone attorney So this trying to smear her and say she's new to Columbus .. Her love and her commitment to her hometown is why she's running for City Council," said Corey Colombo Two Democratic members and one Republican member voted in favor of Ross abstained but told The Dispatch later that she had a procedural question and her abstention had nothing to do with the legitimacy of Ross' residency alleging she moved to Columbus after the deadline Byrnes' argument included pointing to the fact Ross didn't change her voter registration to Franklin County until September and especially like this isn't just some random person off the street forgot to update their voter registration and voted at the old precinct This is somebody who wants to litigate and hold power over a city of a million people it was a very easy bar to clear," Byrnes said In addition, Byrnes pointed out that Ross donated in August to Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor's campaign and used her Reynoldsburg address Ross had not yet changed her billing address with her credit card Ross testified she knew about the May 6 deadline to reside in the district and intentionally moved in time was approached with the idea that I could potentially run for city council I've been working for the city attorney's office for nearly a decade now and it was a personal decision to move into the city," Ross said Ross was born in Columbus and while she was in elementary school Ross said it was a difficult decision to separate from her grandparents especially since she helps care for her grandfather "But because I care about the residents of the City of Columbus .. and I wanted to expand my impact and my ability to take care of folks that live in the city and so I decided to move so that I can make sure that I qualified for the residency," Ross said former chair of the Near East Area Commission an attorney at Community Refugee & Immigration Services Ohio two candidates will advance to the November general election the county Board of Elections heard from Whitehall City Council at-large member Lori J Stein's eligibility to run for the Ward 4 council seat Elmore and Stein disagreed over how to interpret the requirement in Whitehall's city charter "Council members for wards shall have resided in their respective wards and Council members at-large shall have resided in the City for at least two years next preceding their election." Stein conceded that she has not lived in Whitehall for two continuous years before the election Stein said she has lived in Whitehall Ward 4 for more than two years nonconsecutively which she argued meets the requirement in the charter Whitehall City Attorney Brad Nicodemus testified that he disagreed with Stein's interpretation of the charter the Board voted 3-1 against the challenger Stein is challenging Ward 4 Council member Devin Brown Read more government and politics news: DOGE claims cost savings for Columbus bankruptcy court move planned years ago jlaird@dispatch.com @LairdWrites The city of Whitehall settled a dispute between a former police officer who was fired last year leading to a fight with the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge Whitehall Division of Police officer Enrique Ortega was fired by the city less than one year ago after he conducted a survey that was critical of Police Chief Michael Crispen Ortega was the union's grievance officer for the department The FOP announced an agreement between the city and Ortega in a press release issued Monday The FOP said in a statement that as part of the agreement he will receive more back pay than he would have been eligible for in an arbitration award and he will be able to retire from the Whitehall Division of Police in good standing The FOP said Ortega's name will also be permanently honored on the department's retiree plaque recognizing his dedicated service to the Whitehall community Ortega had worked for the department since 2008 FOP President Brian Steel said Ortega now works at the Mifflin Township Police Department Crispen said in a statement to WOSU that the agreement satisfies the city and the police union and it ensures a resolution that upholds the integrity of the Whitehall Division of Police the ultimate agreement reflects our commitment to maintaining a professional and accountable workplace," Crispen said "We appreciate the FOP’s recognition of the agreement and we are likewise confident that this outcome is in the best interest of all involved we determined that (Ortega's) continued employment was not in the organization's best interest Steel said in a statement Ortega only found himself in this situation because he spoke out against "a hostile but Enrique Ortega isn't one of them," Steel said Steel said Ortega knew he was wrongfully terminated for his union activity Steel also said Ortega stood up against pressure to issue citations and arrests targeting marginalized community members Ortega's firing caused a deep rift between the FOP and the Whitehall Division of Police Steel was investigated by the department for allegedly placing a bumper sticker reading "I SUPPORT OFFICER ORTEGA" on a car driven by Van Gregg The city attorney's office did not pursue criminal charges related to the incident Whitehall city officials and the FOP are still litigating the firing of Whitehall police officer Brooke Cano Cano was accused by the department of falsifying evidence when she arrested a woman last year Steel said he does not expect a different outcome for Cano He also stated that process is about to enter arbitration Ohio (WSYX) — Plenty of questions came from families in Whitehall Tuesday night concerned about a potential new "high-dollar" project in the city Developers are looking to build a community of high-priced condos community members and the local city council are looking for a bit more information before any ground is broken The big issue for plenty of people living in that community is the "potential tax breaks" coming to the developer of this project they aren't sure the community will truly benefit from any of this Those plans for a new development along Fairway Boulevard are raising a number of questions Council: "What's the scope of project from 'A' to 'B' to change after going through the planning commission to get planning approved," Fairway Cliff's attorney Whitehall City Council members and the community are trying to fully understand the scope and impact of the project Shannon laid out a revised plan during Tuesday night's meeting "This is still not affordable by any means but is more attainable than option A Why not find an option that would fit fairway more?" Another council member said not gonna lie to you,' Shannon responded a similar plan from the same developer was rejected by the Whitehall City Council The new plan would include condos with an HOA The properties would sell for around $350,000 to $400,000 Those living in the community told WSYX they have serious concerns about tax breaks and the impact this project could have on the community in the long term "The developer would get 45 years of tax dollars that would have gone to the city of Whitehall to pay for things like police fire street maintenance and all the other services that taxpayers pay for," Holly Stein The Whitehall City Council has not set a timeline for possible approval of this project but public comment on the proposal is set for February plenty of local families are expected to weigh in The Whitehall Division of Police launched a criminal investigation into Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge President Brian Steel last year after he allegedly put a bumper sticker on a vehicle driven by Van Gregg the director of the Whitehall Department of Public Safety A criminal investigatory report given to WOSU by the city of Whitehall said the investigation into the alleged vandalism prompted Steel to confront Gregg at an event in Columbus last year This lead to another potential charge for intimidating a crime victim being levied against Steel A video sent to WOSU from the city shows a man in a police officer’s uniform appearing to bend down in front of a vehicle and place something on the back of it before getting up to take a photo It is unclear if the person in the video is Steel Whitehall Division of Police Chief Mike Crispen told WOSU his office submitted their findings to the Whitehall City Attorney City Attorney Brad Nicodemus told WOSU in an email that the city would not be pursuing charges “I have considered this closed for a while now,” Nicodemus said Steel allegedly placed the bumper sticker on Gregg’s car at a memorial for a fallen police officer in August The report said Steel allegedly approached Gregg and his wife during an event at a Clintonville church in September The report alleged Steel intimidated Gregg by asking the safety director about the charges The report said Steel was holding a baby in his arms during the interaction Crispen said Steel's actions are “par for the course” with how Steel and the FOP operate He said Gregg’s family is probably concerned because of the amount of authority and influence Steel wields “This is a guy who is willing to spend thousands of dollars to fly planes or in his words 'run horses up and down our streets and whatever it takes,' acting as if he’d burn the city down if that’s what it takes to get his way,” Crispen said Steel told WOSU he doesn’t believe he has committed a crime Steel declined to say whether he committed these actions because he is under criminal investigation Steel is alleging corruption at the Whitehall Division of Police “The corruption in Whitehall is very well known and not only to central Ohio in the state by their leadership So I'm not surprised that this is continuing to get out And there's more and more people online that are making negative comments to the Whitehall Police Department,” Steel said Crispen’s office alerted WOSU it was investigating Steel in a press release issued Thursday regarding allegations leveled at a Whitehall police officer via a Columbus police officer’s YouTube channel Whitehall police accused Steel of orchestrating these accusations This squabble between Whitehall police and the FOP has raged since the city fired Officer Enrique Ortega in July of last year Ortega was the union’s grievance officer at the time and had just conducted a survey whose results were critical of the police department and Crispen The bumper sticker Steel allegedly placed on Gregg’s car read “I SUPPORT OFFICER ORTEGA.” The police report said other stickers with this same statement were placed on public property around Whitehall The FOP and Whitehall City Councilmember Gerald Dixon tried to initiate an investigation into the police department, but Dixon’s motion failed last year with a 6-1 vote. Whitehall Mayor Michael Bivens also declined to investigate the department shortly after Ortega was fired Since then, the FOP and Steel haven’t shied away from being critical of Crispen and the city. Steel appeared on WOSU’s All Sides with Amy Juravich on Jan. 17 to talk about the state’s plan to increase fees for public records requests and chose to use the radio appearance to criticize Whitehall claiming corruption and a risk to abuse this law Crispen and Steel have opposing views about how the dispute can be solved Crispen said he thinks the FOP needs to be more professional as a union “(The FOP) needs to stay in their lane and do what…they’re supposed to do,” Crispen said Crispen also said the FOP members have stated Crispen needs to resign I’m not the one pulling the trigger on this,” Crispen said “We’re over here trying to keep people safe.” Steel said the FOP’s concerns could have been solved with an investigation Steel said he still believes a third party investigation should be conducted “The FOP is always willing to sit down and talk about this to date Not one time has the chief or the mayor or council or anybody involved been willing to sit down and talk about it,” Steel said Steel did not say whether Crispen or others should resign or be fired — Should Whitehall Township’s dream of building a community recreation center at Jefferson Street Park come to fruition the township board of commissioners heard the results of a feasibility study from representatives of project engineering and architectural firms presented a review of the existing Jefferson Street Park and made recommendations as part of the studies for the proposed recreation center a senior project manager with HRG Engineering of Allentown joined Klocek during the 30-minute presentation Funding would come from a combination of grants perhaps a bond issue and other streams of private funding The next step in the process involves revisions to the draft of the recreation center feasibility study based on feedback from the community and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources The DCNR funds projects involving the rehabilitation and development of public indoor and/or outdoor park recreation and conservation areas and facilities The MKSD and HRG assessment of the year-long study and site analysis of the three existing buildings at Jefferson Street Park concluded: “It’s just a big picture of the building.” Input from township residents was taken during public events and from an online survey of what they would like inside and outside the recreation center “People made suggestions about what they’re looking for,” Klocek said The top four responses from community members were a gymnasium for basketball volleyball and other sports; an indoor walking track; a group exercise and weight/cardio equipment area; and meeting rooms Among other responses were a racquetball court “We took that information and melded it together,” Milewski said “We also studied the economic impact of what the building could do We wanted to learn how the community wants to use the building.” Other considerations in the feasibility study included access to the community traffic flow in and out of Jefferson Street code compliance and parking and pedestrian access 2025: Capital campaign; funding for design 2026: Design; funding for construction; programming finalization and considerations 2027: Finalize construction documents; finalize site design; secure permits; bidding and contract awarding 2028: Building construction (18 months); development of staff job descriptions “We’ve worked on this for 15 months until now,” Commissioner Ken Snyder said “The biggest part is affordability and options it was for it to be part of the community in Whitehall.” despite the committee having spent a significant amount of time on the project I think we have a very good plan to work with and a direction,” he said said he is asked repeatedly if he wants a recreation center “People ask if I want a rec center or don’t want a rec center,” Hibbler said during the workshop session “I’m neutral; I just want what’s best for the community.” Said Commission Secretary Randy Atiyeh: “I moved as a young age from Allentown to Whitehall I can’t tell you how much the recreation here has helped me and my siblings We have to look at recreation as an investment.” Atiyeh’s sentiments were echoed by John Kelly a member of the township recreation commission “It’s not a rec center as much as it is a community center,” Kelly told the board “It’s about becoming one Whitehall community “Building something like this … will bring together the community “It’s very easy to say no; let’s find a way to say yes.” A Whitehall man is accused of damaging a vending machine at a laundromat allegedly stole the money at Main Street Laundromat in the village of Whitehall Prosser was charged with grand larceny and criminal mischief He was arraigned in Washington County Centralized Arraignment Court and held pending future court appearances The station representative that can assist any person with disabilities with issues related to the content of the public file is Brittany Moroukian. She can be contacted at bmoroukian@wnyt.com or 518-207-4710 The cannabis company’s new retail facility in the Columbus area will donate its opening profits to Homes for Families announced the opening of RISE Dispensary Whitehall marking the Company’s entry into the Columbus area is the sixth RISE Dispensary in Ohio and 103rd nationwide This is the first RISE Dispensary to open in Ohio since adult-use sales launched in August 2024 in Ohio RISE Dispensary Whitehall will bring patients and adult-use customers hand-picked high-quality products and key service offerings RISE Dispensary Whitehall will be open from 4:20 p.m offering a broad selection of curated products from Green Thumb’s family of brands “It is an exciting day for Green Thumb in the Buckeye State as we open our sixth RISE Dispensary in Ohio and first location in the Columbus area,” Green Thumb President Anthony Georgiadis said “We are eager to offer Central Ohio patients and customers our best-in-class retail experience and greater access to some of Ohio’s top-selling brands Building on the RISE tradition of giving back to a local charity upon opening, RISE Dispensary Whitehall will donate a portion of profits on March 21 to Home for Families a Columbus-based organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness for Central Ohio families Home for Families partners with families and youth to resolve their housing crises and bridge education gaps to prevent future homelessness “We are thrilled to partner with RISE to make a difference in our Central Ohio community,” Home for Families President and CEO Beth Fetzer-Rice said “Our partnership will increase our ability to continue providing the crucial resources and support needed to help Columbus-area families overcome housing stability.” Green Thumb has been a proud member of the Ohio cannabis community since 2019 The company operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Toledo where it grows and manufactures its branded products there are five other dual-use RISE Dispensaries in Ohio RISE Dispensary Lorain and RISE Dispensary Toledo These dispensaries launched adult-use sales in August 2024 For more information on RISE Dispensaries' locations, product offerings, or other services, visit oh.risecannabis.com playListen to the MCL39 become the first F1 car of 2025 to be fired-up (0:50)McLaren become the first team to show their 2025 car as they release the MCL39 under a "camo" livery Comedian Jack Whitehall will host the Formula 1 season launch event on Tuesday with Take That and country star Kane Brown performing during the night F1 will kick off the season in a different way this year with all 10 teams and 20 drivers attending a show at London's O2 Arena The show, dubbed F1 75, is to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the world championship F1 confirmed Whitehall will host a support bill including Take That 1 singles and topped the UK album chart on nine occasions F1 will host its season launch at London's O2 arena on Tuesday. Formula 1U.S country star Kane Brown will also perform alongside Machine Gun Kelly and Brian Tyler The musical acts will support the 10 teams as they present their cars and drivers through the evening Each team has been given a seven-minute slot on stage and the freedom to present their car and drivers however they like Teams have agreed with F1 not to unveil their official liveries the colour scheme their car will carry for the season although Ferrari has declined to do media activities Ferrari will be officially launching its car with drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc the following morning in a test run at the Fiorano test track next to its headquarters in Maranello, Italy. Last week, McLaren and Williams formally launched their 2025 cars at Silverstone, albeit with interim liveries on the car. FORECASTWhitehall man charged after road-rage shooting on I-70 in Columbusby WSYX Staff Ohio (WSYX) — A man was charged after an alleged road-rage shooting on the highway Tuesday morning faces one count of felonious assault and is expected to be arraigned in court Wednesday morning when two drivers were brake-checking each other One eventually shot the other in the area of I-70 and Mound Street The person who was shot pulled over near Hague Avenue That person was rushed to Grant Medical Center and was said to be stable The incident kept I-70 closed for almost two hours between I-71 south and 315 north all the way to Hague Court documents for Pittman allege he shot the victim in the face He reportedly made statements to detectives confirming he was involved in an altercation on the highway and he was driving next to a truck matching the victim's An alleged fraud case out of Whitehall won’t do much to alter the stereotypical image of the unctuous used car salesperson Nwaru intentionally altered the odometers on used vehicles in order to lower each car’s displayed mileage Nwaru allegedly reduced the mileage of eight vehicles by 80,000-100,000 miles The vehicles with altered mileage were then sold It’s unclear what led investigators to Nwaru odometer fraud is punishable by up to three years in federal prison Want to read more? Check out our print publications, (614) Magazine and Stock & Barrel. Learn where you can find free copies of our newest issues here! Subscribe to stay up-to-date on things to do With Bob Hartman scheduled to retire at the end of this academic year Whitehall-Coplay School District will get a new athletic director – The Whitehall-Coplay Board of School Directors voted Monday night to approve girls wrestling as a PIAA-sanctioned club Whitehall-Coplay joins other area school districts such as Kutztown Southern Lehigh and Nazareth Area by adopting the measure The board also approved the appointment of Jeff Pukszyn as the district's athletic director the athletic director and District 11 chairman is set to retire at the end of the academic year Hartman is one of the area's most well-known athletic directors and high school sports leaders He submitted his letter of retirement to the board in February The Whitehall-Coplay school board approved a proposed budget with a 5.3% tax increase but officials said that number could change until the final budget is set Five people are facing drug charges after police searched a Whitehall apartment Police seized methamphetamine and crack cocaine at an apartment at 4 Main St. according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office All of them were charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of drug paraphernalia Brown and Mahar are also charged with criminal possession of a weapon Brown is also facing additional drug charges from an indictment in Washington County Court Schrader and Matteson were charged with loitering Schrader and Matteson are charged with loitering The other four were arraigned in Washington County Centralized Arraignment and released on their own recognizance WHITEHALL, Mont. — On April 8, a letter from the Rocky Mountain Development Council started circulating around Whitehall alerting people to the recommendation that their Head Start classroom would likely close at the end of the school year signed by Rocky Head Start director Ashley Peña-Larsen states they came to the conclusion after careful consideration and evaluation high over-income enrollment and high operational costs around two dozen Whitehall residents gathered at the local library first outside to show their support for the program “We would like to know what we can do to continue having this resource available to us We don’t have a lot of resources here in town So it would be really sad to lose something that we all feel is important and has benefitted all of us -- parents Head Start parent and Rocky Head Start Policy Council member “I’d love to stand up for every child I can because I know they don’t have the big voice to stand up for themselves and I wish we would’ve taken steps five or nine steps ago so those $1 could’ve counted or we could’ve accumulated funds to keep this open This is a huge heartbeat in this community and our hearts are being ripped out to give support to some bigger community it seems like I’m too far behind on this one but I’m pretty disappointed that our children and our future children have been let down And I pray for our future,” said Zack Zinick during the meeting Zinick is a Head Start parent who remembers being a student in the program Regional Head Start leadership says their hands are tied, in large part due to the loss of about $100,000 in STARS to Quality funding provided by the state while DPHHS redesigns the program These facts mean that continuing Head Start in Whitehall is not financially viable for an organization where every decision has federal strings attached “We’re really having to adjust to see where can we still serve the same amount of children but be able to do it within the reduced confines of our budget,” said Peña-Larsen saying that the resources will be given to Helena and this will allow them to open a classroom in a Section 8 housing development what we’re really trying to do what we can to make sure we’re serving the Head Start-eligible families as many as our possible with our Head Start dollars and do it in a way that we don’t lose funding or anything like that for any of our communities.” She says the community can create a nonprofit and absorb the licensed child care facility and that they are willing to help them get started We will be here for you and we will support you the best way that we can and that is in a lot of different ways,” said Peña-Larsen but I will make sure to help the person operating it Peña-Larsen estimates the annual operating cost for the facility to be about $189,000 a year there is a belief they can get all their ducks in a row in time for the next school year there could be a plan to continue to operate That might actually free up some of the red tape We’ll start working on finding grants and stuff like that because we’ll need that to run,” Gooch told NBC Montana after the meeting “But with the community support that was here and I know there were a lot of members that weren’t here that wanted to be that also support the program Rocky’s board is expected to officially vote to close the Whitehall Head Start next week as Whitehall community leaders plan on getting a solution off the ground as soon as possible “It’s a loss for our community but I’m kind of open to seeing what we can do.” she says it is critical for community members to show support for Head Start at the state and federal level The regional Head Start used to have 200 slots for students and only 12 of those can be used for those that exceed their federal income guidelines “What you can do is support early childhood legislation that supports a wide variety of children Your state needs to support early childhood We are one in four or five states that doesn’t have any funding So many Head Start programs across the nation have been able to partner to survive some of these things because they have other funding coming in And we are still fighting every day to say children and families matter,” said Peña-Larsen as well as a tribute to Whitehall Head Start from parent and volunteer Melissa Valenta that she read during Tuesday's meeting An oxygen tank illegally placed in a trashcan caused an explosion in a Whitehall garbage truck Wednesday according to a Facebook post from the city As a garbage worker was loading trash on the 4000 Block of Elbern Avenue scattering trash in the roadway and starting a fire inside the truck One of the truck's workers quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and began putting out the flames The city's garbage collection is done by Local Waste Services Oxygen tanks are considered household hazardous waste and cannot be disposed of in normal trash cans. The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio provides hazardous waste disposal services for Franklin County residents The Whitehall Police Department encourages anyone with information on the explosion to contact them at 614-237-6333 Wednesday's incident is not the first time Columbus garbage trucks have caught fire. A Rumpke truck's natural gas fuel caused a blaze on the city's Far East Side in 2023 less than two months after another Rumpke truck suffered a trash fire caused by an improperly disposed of laptop with a lithium-ion battery NHart@dispatch.com @NathanRHart WHITEHALL, Ohio (WSYX) — The Whitehall City Council will meet Tuesday evening, with the agenda once again dominated by the contentious Fairway Cliffs development proposal which has been a topic of debate for more than a year aims to bring nearly 50 high-end condos along Fairway Boulevard The proposal also includes a 7.7-acre park with access to Big Walnut Creek and paved walking paths The agenda for Tuesday's meeting indicates plans for a possible vote on resolutions related to the Fairway Cliffs project primarily due to the proposed tax incentives The city has proposed a 100% tax abatement for the first 15 years followed by an arrangement for an additional 30 years many of whom voiced their objections during last month's city council meeting "The developer would get 45 years of tax dollars that would have gone to the city of Whitehall to pay for things like police street maintenance and all the other services that taxpayers pay for," Whitehall resident Holly Stein said character of the Fairway neighborhood," another Whitehall resident said "I think you are going to see a lot of people come up and talk about these items because they are very emotional when they talk about what Fairway Boulevard means to our city as landmark a vote on the development was tabled due to unresolved questions White Hall Vineyards has shut down its winemaking operations White Hall was one of the older establishments in Virginia’s relatively young wine country and had a wider distribution than many others Well before the Monticello Viticultural Area was named the No White Hall wines could be found on store shelves outside the commonwealth Established in 1992 by Tony and Edie Champ White Hall sits on 210 acres at 5285 Sugar Ridge Road in the Albemarle County community that shares its name vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains and an 11-bedroom residence on site the property has temporarily been removed from the market and is “in limbo,” according to listing agent Richard Walden as the owner is continuing to evaluate some financial matters in the Albemarle County community of the same name Walden told The Daily Progress he first sold the land to the Champs back in 1988 and later custom-built the stone house on the property for the new owners White Hall has not released a public statement regarding the closure but it is listed as permanently closed on Google Maps and its website is no longer active Another Virginia winery confirmed the news — primarily to prevent confusion given their similar names An 11-bedroom residence at the White Hall Vineyards property in Albemarle County was custom-built for the Champ family 23 to say that the Estate at White Hall is not closed nor planning to close but that the Champs’ daughter Lisa confirmed the business her parents founded in Albemarle County is closing “Lisa was a good friend to us when we first started our winery We even have a wine tank we purchased from her that we lovingly refer to as ‘Lisa Champ,’” according to the Estate at White Hall Vineyard’s post “Her family started the winery & vineyard in the 80s We are sad to have this confirmed but wish her & her staff all the best in their next chapter!” Several of the Albemarle County White Hall’s neighbors are prominent wineries Grace Estate Winery and the up-and-coming Fallen Tree Vineyard which opened its tasting room last year White Hall Vineyards in Albemarle County opened in 1992 making it one of the older wineries in Virginia’s relatively young wine country All of these wineries belong to the Monticello American Viticultural Area surrounding Charlottesville known as the “Napa Valley of the East Coast.” The Monticello AVA though younger than the wine countries of California has been racking up awards in recent years A winery in the region has taken home the Governor’s Cup Wine Enthusiast magazine named the Monticello wine country “Wine Region of the Year.” But there are signs that Virginia’s wine country has reached a turning point Walden said roughly 30 vineyards are now on the market in Virginia including several in the Monticello region It’s unclear which specific wineries are listed as most of them are “under discrete listings,” as Walden puts it where all identifying information is concealed has about 15 properties registered on its website under “Virginia Wineries for sale,” a list that includes Cunningham Creek Winery & Brewery The family-owned and -operated vineyard in Palmyra was most recently listed in October for $2.9 million ehemphill@dailyprogress.com With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food Account processing issue - 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