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.

Easton United for Democracy, an advocacy group less than a month old, held a protest in the city's Centre Square Sunday to push back against the Trump Administration.

Grassroots political organization Easton United for Democracy is organizing a march in the city's Centre Square on March 30, 2025, protesting the conduct of the current administration.

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is teaming up with local organizations to help raise funds for those displaced by the Hotel Lafayette fire.

Easton City Council approved a lease agreement with 28Fortune LLC that will allow it to open a Hologram Zoo on the first floor of City Hall this summer.

The restaurants are a fast-casual Mexican restaurant with a location in downtown Allentown; a new bar and lounge concept from the owners of Amigos; and a café, City Center said. The restaurants will open this summer.

At 19,580 square feet, the new field house would be built using the same footprint as the current annex building on site and would be used each day for gym classes and the like, NDHS Principal Jaclyn Friel told planners on Monday.

Easton Area School District has confirmed their preliminary budget shows a $7 million deficit for fiscal year 2026, and a growing reliance on the fund balance.

A conditional use hearing for a 170-unit apartment complex on Van Buren Road addressed a potential right-of-way issue during Monday's Palmer supervisors meeting, although the hearing has been continued until April.

Pennsylvania's Dog Laws clearly state dumping a dog is illegal. Yet every year, shelters bear witness to the unthinkable act, and much worse. When will it stop?

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie visited Ward Transport & Logistics Corp. in Easton, where he got feedback about federal regulations on truck drivers and concerns about Pennsylvania's emission standards.

Two Rivers Brewing Co. has secured a variance which will allow the business to transform a run-down lot adjacent to its property into a new outdoor beer garden.

Easton Housing Authority obtained a set of variances that will allow for development of a 45-unit affordable senior housing project and dedicated parking in the West Ward.