Easton News

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.

Affected customers are being asked to enroll in interest-free payment plans so the city can recover more than $35,000 in unpaid bills, its finance director said Wednesday.

Lawmakers voted 46-1 on Senate Bill 1014, bipartisan legislation that would require public schools to adopt "bell-to-bell" policies restricting student use of smartphones and other internet-connected devices throughout the entire school day.

'The Dream Makers' exhibit first debuted at the museum in 1985 and feature works created by elementary school students across the U.S.

Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone's newly proposed landlord training program, if adopted, will require property owners to take it.

Led by Executive Producer Brittany Sweeney, the one-hour special focuses on homelessness in the Lehigh Valley, the work around it and the search for solutions.

Easton Area School Board settled on a site for the new high school during its Jan. 28 meeting, but concerns over cost remain ever present.

While it doesn't have a vote in the matter, Easton Area School District's board opened up a discussion over student and community concerns linked to the controversial warehouse plan at the Easton-Wilson Borough border.

Projects in Wilson and Easton will receive $225,000 in funding to support trails, parks, recreation and watershed initiatives.

A fraction of Lafayette College's faculty signed a no-confidence motion against President Nicole Hurd. On Tuesday night, a majority of the nearly 200 faculty members who voted passed the measure.

Join Sarah White and Tim Betz on a virtual Zoom call at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

Easton Police Department welcomed two new officers, saw two promotions, and celebrated two retirements during the Jan. 22, 2025 council meeting.

Ten faculty members signed a 12-page, no-confidence motion highlighting their concerns with President Nicole Hurd's leadership. A vote is reportedly set for Tuesday.

Discussions pertaining to the ownership of Easton's Timothy House are ramping up, with Rock Church offering the Hooper House to the city as long as it can retain their structure.

Supervisor Jeffrey Young says he won't run for re-election in 2025 and will serve out his term through the end of the year, ending over two decades of service to the community.