Easton News

Broadway's "Rock of Ages" Band features the musician case of the Broadway show playing what it calls playing "the greatest rock hits from the glam metal bands of the '80s."

The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, in coordination with Greater Easton Development Partnership, has established the fund to help victims of Friday's devastating fire at the Hotel Hampton building, 462 Northampton St. Also, a Red Cross emergency shelter operation has been relocated.

One firefighter suffered serious injuries when he fell off a ladder escaping the fire. Several others received minor injuries. Authorities said the coroner was on scene Saturday "out of an abundance of caution" because they did not have an accurate count of people living in the Hotel Hampton building.

In December alone, there were 676 eviction filings and defaults in Lehigh County — the highest monthly total since August 2023.

In counties such as Lehigh, eviction filings have reached their highest point in years, even as rental vacancy rates have fluctuated. That apparent contradiction — rising vacancy estimates alongside persistent eviction volume — is part of a broader housing dynamic playing out across the region.

Xiaomin Fei, 34, on Thursday entered the plea in the June 3 shooting deaths of Robert and Gretchen Ackerman, Northampton County District Attorney Stephen G. Baratta announced.

Officials signed off on plans that call for 73 condominiums — 15 one-bedroom units, 36 two-bedroom units and 22 three-bedroom units — and about 2,500 square feet of commercial space.

Jack Bennett grew up in the family hardware business and went on to lead it for nearly 25 years. He was one of Easton's most prominent business leaders in the 1970s and '80s. He died Jan. 29 at age 98. Friends say he left an impression on the Downtown business community that still can be felt today.

Affected customers are being asked to enroll in interest-free payment plans so the city can recover more than $35,000 in unpaid bills, its finance director said Wednesday.

Lawmakers voted 46-1 on Senate Bill 1014, bipartisan legislation that would require public schools to adopt "bell-to-bell" policies restricting student use of smartphones and other internet-connected devices throughout the entire school day.

The State Café and Grill – located at 14-16 S. 5th Street, just around the block from the State Theatre – will reopen on Thursday, Feb. 9.

The South Side Civic Association will hold a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, to gather input on neighborhood needs.

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Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium and thorium in soil and rocks.

Community space, a recreation center and affordable housing are some suggestions for how to redevelop the old Dixie cup building in Wilson Borough, just outside Easton.

A steep rise in egg prices plus butter shortages means some bakeries must adapt.

“It's always remarkable to me to see even a company that we've all grown up with has to constantly change and adapt – not just with regard to sources of energy, but with regard to the process," Casey said.

Mayor Sal Panto Jr. says it's unfortunately part of a larger trend that is changing how small businesses operate in neighborhoods. He said the city intends to create a task force to address it.

The Palmer Township supervisors rejected a proposal for a 185,000-square-foot manufacturing center near a housing development in the northern end of the township.

Easton has been struggling with a shortage of school bus drivers for at least the past few years. Students were getting to school late or getting home late, so the district purchased software last year to design bus routes instead of doing them by hand to find efficiencies.

A free dental clinic is being offered in Easton next month. Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley will provide free oral health care services at their Easton location.

Cupcakes with Egyptian cinnamon are just one confection customers might try as Mia & Maddie bakery moves forward with plans to open a shop in Easton.