Easton News

The Easton-Phillipsburg free bridge will be restricted to one lane from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 19 and 20 to complete a lighting project.

Although hospital officials say a change in location for medevac helicopter access is crucial during building of a new facility at the Anderson campus, some residents think there are more adjustments to be made.

With residents packing council chambers, Easton's Zoning Hearing Board denied a proposal for a nine building, 412-unit apartment facility near the Forks Township border.

Easton Yoga's "A Night of Ecstatic Music and Kirtan," set for Sept. 21, will feature music from Seán Johnson & the Wild Lotus Band, with proceeds going toward child mindfulness programs.

Friends of the Easton Cemetery and the West Ward Community Initiative are hosting Community Day at Easton Cemetery this Saturday, with tours, activities and food for all.

The annual Lehigh Valley Polo for Equi-librium will take place at Braden Airpark on Sunday, Sept. 17.

Following the approval of two contracts for solid waste and recycling disposal, Easton officials are warning rates for residents could increase due to hauling costs.

Easton City residents can recycle their old, outdated electronics and appliances at 500 Bushkill Drive this Saturday. Most items can be recycled for free, while some others require a small fee.

Thanks to contributions from over 200 individuals and organizations, victims of the May 29 Ferry Street fire have been provided with over $67,200 in funding to help them recover.

Easton's Redevelopment Authority recommended approving variances on a former church they intend to transform into affordable housing during the city's Wednesday planning commission meeting.

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.