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.

Plans to demolish three dams in the Easton area on Bushkill Creek are set to improve water quality, remove hazards and allow species to once again move upstream

City Center Group is joining forces with Peron Development to build and manage two mixed-use facilities featuring 444 apartments combined.

Come out to Easton to celebrate the 247 anniversary of the reading of the Declaration of Independence and the city's rich history at Heritage Day, set for Sunday, July 9.

Easton City Administrator Luis Campos has been hospitalized after collapsing while running in the College Hill neighborhood on Wednesday.

Easton's Karl Stirner Arts Trail is an ever-popular destination for locals and travelers seeking a quaint and quick trip through a museum set along a strip of wilderness in the city.

Easton's Planning Commission recommended approval of a land development motion to change former office space at 400 Northampton St. into a mixed-use building with 32 apartments.

Bethlehem's annual Fourth of July fireworks were fired from Sand Island and drew a crowd to several points across the city, including the SteelStacks campus.

O'Hanlon retired at Lafayette in 2022 after 27 seasons. His hiring at Cardinal O'Hara in Delaware County brings him back to the Philadelphia Catholic League, where he played high school ball in the 1960s.

Easton City Council has approved a measure to apply for a $100,000 grant to go toward modernizing and improving the College Hill Fire Station.

The new carousel, built in 1928, is the latest milestone in Bushkill Park's resurrection, after a series of floods closed the Easton-area attraction for more than a decade.

Three high school interns have been working at the Easton Urban Farm at the Easton Area Neighborhood Center. This is the third year for the high school program.

Steel City Plant Co., a boutique plant shop featuring expert knowledge and easy care instructions, will open in Easton's Belleville Market this weekend.