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.

Several Lehigh Valley high school performing arts students took home Freddy Awards at the ceremony held Thursday, May 25 at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Easton.

Lafayette College has confirmed it will soon finalize the purchase of the Lafayette Inn, a historic mansion-turned-bed and breakfast located near the school.

Easton City Council approved amendments to the budgets for ARPA and CARES Act funds Wednesday, providing funding for community projects and small business recovery and retention.

The Easton City Council addressed a proposed program from resident Carol Free to allow for backyard chickens on Tuesday. No decision has been made, though councilmembers had numerous concerns over the idea.

WLVR’s Brad Klein speaks with reporter Brian Myszkowski about the prospects for backyard chickens in Easton.

After clearing more than 40 trees without city approval, college officials must resubmit plans to comply with the city's steep slope conservation ordinance. Failure to do so will halt the project.

Officials from said an industrial building that burned last month was too badly damaged to find how the fire started.

Republican William Rowe, a write-in candidate for the Bethlehem-area seat on Northampton County Council, will advance to the November election.

Carol Free, Easton's "Chicken Lady," is on a mission to allow for backyard chickens in the city. Check out her plan, the concerns with the birds, and what the city government is up to when it comes to chickens in the city.

The Easton Twilight Criterium returns to the city's Downtown district on Saturday, May 27. Streets will be closed to accommodate racers and pedestrians throughout the day.

An appreciative community packed Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown to bid farewell to Bishop Edward P. Cullen, 90, who died May 9. Cullen was the third Bishop of Allentown, having served from 1998 until his retirement in 2009 at age 76.

The Weyerbacher Hill Challenge 5K is set for this weekend, with runners set to explore the hills of Easton before getting back to the brewery to enjoy some brews.