Easton News

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

The Palmer Recovery Center is the site of a free trauma-informed yoga class every Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m. The class helps veterans with their mental health struggles.

The primary election for Easton City Council featured seven candidates, all Democrats, squaring off for three open positions.

Easton's Expanded Outdoor Dining Program, which stretches seating into parking spots outside local eateries, will relaunch on May 6.

The West Ward Market celebrated the grand opening of its second season in Easton on May 3, allowing residents easier access to fresh foods and community activities.

American shad populations, once plentiful in the Lehigh River, have dwindled. Officials and fishermen point to ineffective fish ladders at the Easton and Chain dams.

Easton officials announced Tuesday the near-completion of the 2021 budget, including an analysis of debt restructuring which has helped strengthen the city's fund balance.

Easton mayoral candidates Peter Melan and Sal Panto Jr. will partake in an audience-driven debate at Lafayette College Monday, May 8.

A historic Easton property that once housed a church, a dry cleaner and a noted artist is up for lease. The three-floor mixed-use building would be a perfect place for new business, the owner says.

Fat Jacks' has welcomed customers along Freemansburg Avenue for 32 years. Now owner Susan Kerbaugh says it's time for someone else to take the reins. The building and its liquor license went on the market this week.

The drowning death of a Hanover Township, Northampton County, child in July has been ruled accidental, the district attorney said.

Easton City Council opted to remove a Welcoming City ordinance from its Wednesday agenda, leading to a debate among council and the public as to the need for and intent of the legislation.

City and county officials came together on Easton's Ferry Street on Wednesday to celebrate the opening of a four-unit affordable housing building which once served as the Italian Presbyterian Church.

Route 22 was initially closed in both directions in Northampton County between the Route 191 and Route 512 exits. A dump truck overturned, spilling ashpalt onto both sides of the highway; the driver was hospitalized, according to state police.

Yandiel Onil Gonzalez, 16, surrendered to authorities Wednesday and will be charged as an adult, police said in a news release. The shooting occurred July 12 on South Side.

Easton City Council at a Tuesday meeting took a look at the capital improvement plan for the next five years, highlighting projects such as pool rehabilitation, waterfront development, fire station work and more.

In January, a majority of faculty approved a no-confidence vote for Lafayette College President Nicole Hurd. This week, the college board of trustees approved an extension to her contract lasting until 2030. She joined Lafayette as its leader in 2021.

Threatened due to habitat loss and other factors, purple martins in the Lehigh Valley depend on man-made bird houses. For the first time, they've taken up residence at St. Luke's Arboretum in Bethlehem Township.

Cupid Foundations Inc. opened its design studio, CupidIntimates, on West Lehigh Street in Bethlehem in 1987. It's still designing original shapewear that it manufactures and sells in department stores and other national retailers.

Easton's Book & Puppet Co. will hold "Authenticity: A Celebration of Pride and Art," highlighting the diversity of the queer art community, on Saturday, Aug. 9.

Easton planners recommended against the zoning hearing board granting a special exception that would see a tributary on the grounds of the Easton Commerce Park project relocated.

Easton has taken in $1.3 million in funding which will allow for $1 million award for traffic calming and safety improvements, and another $300,000 for a downtown intersection redesign.