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.

In addition to not raising taxes, Easton Mayor Sal Panto said a key component of the recommended city budget is that it also doesn’t raise the city's debt obligations. He cited help from The American Rescue Plan Act along with grants as a major factor in how the budget was shaped.

Spooky stories of Easton's past are revealed through Sigal Museum's Eerie Easton Walking Tours

Green Building United held a sustainable warehouse forum at Lafayette College, discussing the ways the Lehigh Valley's economy can grow while increasing sustainability.

Easton's Garlic Fest saw a good turnout despite the threat of rain.

Music, desserts, clothes and, of course, garlic make way at the Easton Garlic Fest

The former Forks Diner, at 3315 Sullivan Trail in Forks Township, is being converted into an auto maintenance and repair shop, Your Mechanic PA, LLC.

Husband and wife Juan and Melanie Martinez, will open their 6th eatery, Miss Jackson’s Kitchen, at 201 McCartney St. in Easton. on the ground floor of Lafayette College’s McCartney Residences.

The new spot at 1259 S. Cedar Crest Blvd. in Salisbury Township follows those in Bethlehem and Easton.

Tracking down medical records is not as easy as a search on the web, but there are ways to find them.

As prices of meat, produce and other foods continue to rise amid inflation, two discount grocery store chains are expanding their footprints in the Lehigh Valley.

Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and PennDOT will study how to make passenger rail a reality in the region.

U.S. families with school children plan to spend an average of $864 on back-to-school items in 2022.