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.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

The U.S. Department of Education has launched investigations into seven schools, including Lafayette College, over alleged incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Your holiday guide to tree lighting ceremonies around the Lehigh Valley.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, hosted a webinar on Wednesday to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The federal funding will help repair crumbling infrastructure in the Greater Lehigh Valley.

About 150 Jews from the Lehigh Valley took a lengthy trek down to Washington D.C. for a rally to combat antisemitism, raise awareness of the Israel-Hamas war, and call out for the release of hostages.

The gallery is open at Palmer Park Mall in Easton, a business its owner says is the first of its kind in the Lehigh Valley.

Museum Store Sunday brings three local museums together to support local artisans and crafters.

Jimmy's Hot Dogs has operated in the 25th Street Shopping Center in Palmer Township since 1991. Its original partners worked for Jim's Doggie Stand in Phillipsburg and its owner Jimmy Makris, who established the roadside stand in 1910.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Scouting for Food is organized by the Boy Scouts of America Minsi Trails Council, which includes Lehigh and Northampton counties.

It's time for the Easton Area Public Library's Fall Book Sale, where shoppers can pick up plenty of books, DVDs, CDs, games and more for as low as 50 cents while helping fund library programming and events.

Most unofficial election results remain the same in Northampton County, but one school board race has shifted after nearly all emergency ballots were counted Thursday.