Easton News

The blaze broke out Monday afternoon in the 900 block of Ferry Street in Easton. Multiple homes were affected and dozens of firefighters from Easton and surrounding communities responded.

Residents of Williams Township gathered in Municipal Park on Sunday to honor the memory of fallen soldiers and living veterans alike.

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 Pennsylvania Humane Society honored a number of animal rights advocates Friday, including state Rep. Jeanne McNeill for her efforts to fight puppy mills in Pennsylvania.

Citing the financial concerns of taxpayers, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission member Richard D. Molchany suggests slowing down the Lehigh Valley Passenger Rail project.

Easton City Council approved two resolutions to apply for a DCED Flood Mitigation Grant and a Grow NORCO Grant to help alleviate sediment issues in the Lehigh River and improve the Centennial Park.

Several Lehigh Valley high school performing arts students took home Freddy Awards at the ceremony held Thursday, May 25 at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Easton.

Lafayette College has confirmed it will soon finalize the purchase of the Lafayette Inn, a historic mansion-turned-bed and breakfast located near the school.

Easton City Council approved amendments to the budgets for ARPA and CARES Act funds Wednesday, providing funding for community projects and small business recovery and retention.

Thirteen of the Lehigh Valley's seats in the General Assembly look like they'll have a contested November election. State Senate races in Lehigh and Northampton counties will have contested primaries, as well.

Gary Lewis & The Playboys and The Lovin' Spoonful will perform as part of The My Generation Tour at 7:30 p.m. March 13 at Easton's State Theatre. Joining them will be Terry Sylvester of The Hollies, one of those British groups with which they competed, and which had five Top 10 hits of their own in the 1960s.

"The entire regiment deserves some sort of reconsideration, whether it’s by BusPatrol or by legislative change,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.

A Multi-Agency Resource Center will be open from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Gallery at the State Theatre for victims of the Hampton Hotel fire in Easton.

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.