Easton News

A new citizen-led nonprofit has officially launched in Easton, bringing together residents and community advocates concerned about rapid downtown development, preservation standards and public access to planning decisions.

A rainy Memorial Day weekend forecast is forcing some schedule changes across the Lehigh Valley, but several of the region’s biggest annual events say they’re moving forward — rain or shine.

Straight No Chaser will perform at the theater at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 5. And the stage play "Waitress" at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 and 16.

Planning and Codes Director Dwayne Tillman said records dating to a 1977 certificate of occupancy consistently identified the Hotel Hampton property as a hotel and not a rooming or boarding house.

A Northampton County Councilwoman last week accused former county Executive Lamont McClure of trying to pressure her to vote for a 20-year special taxing district that could have sent $26 million in public funding to a project to turn the former Dixie Cup factory into housing.

The developer behind the Dixie Cup project was seeking a 20-year agreement that could have generated about $26 million.

Former residents and several people close to the fire department described years of deteriorating conditions and limited enforcement inside the Hotel Hampton, including blocked or missing exits, rodent infestations, malfunctioning or ignored smoke alarms and more.

The iconic Dixie Cup structure is set to be restored as part of Skyline Investment Group’s plans to turn the long-vacant industrial site into more than 400 apartments.

Bob Brooks, a Democratic candidate running for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, has asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit filed against him by Carol Wiley, his former mother-in-law. She alleges he owes her more than $162,000 from a lawsuit she filed in 2018.

The Hotel Hampton boarding house had not undergone fire inspections since at least 2017, despite a history of code violations, fire alarm problems and prior safety concerns, according to a newly completed federal investigation.

Next year marks 250 years since the colonists produced a bold declaration of freedom and self-governance that still echoes today. It will be an occasion celebrated and recognized across the land — and we at Lehigh Valley Public Media are no exception.

Fourth Fridays are back in Easton, promoting locally-owned businesses and bringing the community together with the return of the Cash Mob.

A joint venture project soon will bring a $110 million, 320 multifamily apartment and 92 for-sale townhomes project to Palmer Township.

Turkish candy company Kervan celebrated a groundbreaking for a new warehouse, manufacturing, and office space off Commerce Park Drive at the border of Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth townships.

Easton City Council approved $1 million in grant applications for community organizations and city programs, though the potential for the CDBG program to disappear remains an ever-present threat.

Lehigh Valley Dodgeball is building an inclusive, community-driven space for players of all skill levels in Easton. Open gyms are now underway every Monday night.

Easton Area School District approved a $214 million budget for the upcoming school year. With a 3.5% tax increase to keep the district running, $3.3 million will go toward the new high school project.

The former West Easton clerk is charged with three felonies for allegedly accepting cash payments for residents' bills but never depositing the money in a borough account. He never returned to work after being sent a text informing him of his suspension in 2023, court records show.

Police said Amir Sims-Watson, 17, opened fire on a group of pedestrians in Allentown before robbing a woman at gunpoint at Trexler Middle School. Two other teens are charged in the shooting.

The setup offers superior maneuverability, firefighters said, especially on Easton’s tight and twisting streets, some of which date back to the Revolutionary War era.

Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone will host a Clean Slate information session this July to help eligible individuals get on the path to clear their criminal record.

Presented in partnership with the Nurture Nature Center, it’s the city’s first free Sustainability Movie Night, an effort organizers said aims to bring the community together for conservation education.