Easton News

Easton Outdoor Company hosted the launch of the Elevate program, which aims to help outdoor activity-oriented businesses connect and thrive, on Monday, Oct. 29.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, greeted voters at one Lehigh Valley polling place on Election Day. Johnson said his visit signified how critically important the Lehigh Valley's 7th Congressional District is to the balance of power in the U.S. House.

Easton-based projects have earned $4.87 million in grants from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, which will go toward businesses focused on health care, housing, and recreation.

Many Lehigh Valley college students are voting in their first presidential election Tuesday. Here's what campus leaders had to say about their top issues and the candidates they support.

Thousands of guests swarmed downtown Easton for PA BaconFest 2024 on Saturday, Nov. 2, with all sorts of savory and sweet dining options, on top of plenty of bacon merchandise and entertainment.

A video shot at the Northampton County Courthouse has gotten millions of views on social media with suggestions voter fraud is at play. The county executive says it's anything but.

Residents at the Country Meadows Retirement Communities in Forks Township got to take a virtual tour of some spooky spots across the globe for Halloween this month.

Crayola Creativity Week will include a wide array of special programming featuring actors, musicians, artists, scientists, and more, all aiming to promote utilizing a creative touch in every part of life.

PA BaconFest returns to Easton on Nov. 2 and 3, featuring tons of eateries, vendors, competitions and more, all featuring everyone's favorite crispy, salty, savory food.

Lehigh and Northampton counties and surrounding areas ripe for easy-starting potential fire situations.

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.