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.

The nine-man Straight No Chaser will perform at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 7, the theater said in a release. Tickets, at $39.50-$74.50, go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, May 10, on the State Theatre website.

Two Allentown School District teachers and a Salisbury Township School District teacher were chosen at random to participate in a shopping spree at Crayola Experience to help their students during Teacher Appreciation Week. The catch? They had just over a minute.

Northampton County certified its primary election Tuesday without the worry over voting machine errors it saw in November.

The iconic Easton-area business has operated in the 25th Street Shopping Center since 1991. Owners announced last year that they were putting the place on the market. The new owners have run a Downtown Easton restaurant since 2018.

Easton Farmers' Market will celebrate its 272nd season on Saturday, May 4, with dozens of locally oriented vendors offering food, drinks, entertainment, specialty crafts and more.

The former Dixie cup factory in Wilson Borough has long been a candidate for redevelopment. A developer told Northampton County Council Thursday they plan to build apartments with a dog-friendly lounge on the site.

Easton has secured $930,118 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside program funding to replace the deteriorating Abbott Street Bridge, Senator Lisa Boscola announced this week.

An agreement between "car-sharing" company Turo and the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority won final authority approval Tuesday.

Easton's South Side and Allentown have been welcomed into Blueprint Communities, a program focused on training local officials to help foster improvements in local communities' quality of life.

Happy 30th Birthday, Horizons for Youth! Northampton Community College Bethlehem and Monroe campuses offer week-long summer camps with optional childcare, as well as single classes throughout the year.

Easton's end-of-the-month celebration, Fourth Friday, returns from 5 to 9 p.m. this April 26, featuring specials for food, drinks, shopping, and other attractions.

Two Lehigh Valley municipalities this year participated in Penn State’s Local Climate Action Program. Here's how the program works to create a greenhouse gas inventory and, from those findings, a climate action plan.