TOP STORIES LEHIGH VALLEY’S FIRST DRIVE-THRU ONLY WAWA OPENS
Wawa opened a drive-thru only location on Thursday along Hamilton Boulevard in Lower Macungie Township. It is first such Wawa in the Lehigh Valley and the second in Pennsylvania. Wawa gave away T-shirts to the new facility’s first 100 customers at a celebration that included a ribbon-cutting and a hoagie-building competition between local police and firefighters. The new Wawa can serve up to 12 cars at a time. There is no walk-in service or gas pumps.
TWO SEPARATE CRASHES CLOSE ROUTES 22 AND 33, MOTORCYCLIST DIES
David Walton, 59, of Phillipsburg, died Wednesday after a motorcycle crash on Route 22 in Northampton County. Police said Walton was eastbound on a motorcycle just before 4 p.m. near 25th Street in Palmer Township. He approached traffic congestion caused by an earlier crash on Route 33, skidded and hit a truck, police said. No other injuries were reported. Another wreck, on Route 33, involved multiple vehicles in the northbound lanes between the Route 248 and Tatamy exits around 2:30 p.m. The crash included a LANTA paratransit van and two other vehicles, police said.
FIVE LEHIGH VALLEY ESTABLISHMENTS FACE LIQUOR LAW VIOLATION CHARGES
The state police Bureau of
Liquor Control Enforcement’s recently released report alleges four establishments in Lehigh County and one in Northampton County violated liquor laws last month. Licensees will have a chance to defend themselves against the citations before an administrative law judge, who may impose fines between $50 to $1,000 for minor violations, or up to $5,000 for more serious offenses. The judge may also suspend or revoke business licenses or mandate training. The businesses are: Depot LLC, Bethlehem; Shanty on 19th, Allentown; TM and MM LLC, Fountain Hill; Community Fire Co. 1 of North Whitehall Township, Schnecksville and Carabba’s Italian Grill, Easton.
NOWHERE COFFEE LOOKS TO PLACE ROASTING FACILITY IN ALLENTOWN
A local coffee company is shifting its plan to open a roasting facility from Upper Macungie Township to Allentown, according to a post the owners left on Instagram. Juan and Lauren Vargas own coffee shops in Emmaus and South Whitehall Township, both operating under the name Nowhere Coffee. The couple said in December they had a lease for property in Upper Macungie, but on Feb. 1 they were denied a permit to operate the roastery at 1115 Trexlertown Road because the $50,000 device was deemed to be used for “manufacturing and/or bulk processing” of food, which is prohibited under the neighborhood’s zoning designation. In a Feb. 3 Instagram post the Vargases said they would appeal the decision on March 13 but since then have indicated the change in their plans.
WAFFLE AND ICE CREAM STORE COMING TO LEHIGH VALLEY THIS SPRING
Batch Microcreamery co-owners Rick Pongracz and Manny Rodriguez are working on opening a waffle and ice cream shop in June at a south Bethlehem location. Pongracz said the shop, at 307-311 E. Third St., will feature Liege waffles, a distinctive waffle that hails from the Wallonia region of Belgium. Compared to more common waffles, Liege waffles are denser, smaller and — thanks to the inclusion of a bigger sugar crystal and its caramelization — crunchier. Batch Microcreamery has three other locations: at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley; at Quakertown’s Trolley Barn; and a “seasonal outfit” at Shepherd Hills Golf Club in Lower Macungie Township. The brand’s ice cream is also served at 15 restaurants across the region, as well as on an ice cream truck. A location at the Downtown Allentown Market closed in 2022.