Easton News

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.

Alton Brown, who started the Food Network’s “Good Eats” show, will perform An Evening of Alton Brown at 7:30 p.m. April 16, the theater announced. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 30.

The Daughters of the American Revolution, with help from a local Girl Scout troop, commemorated the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution by ringing bells in Easton's Centre Square on Wednesday.

Palmer Township took some time to remember and celebrate the life of former supervisor Charles "Zeke" Bellis III, who died in September 2025.

Palmer Township has appointed Baron Vanderburg to fill part of the remainder of the late Charles "Zeke" Bellis III's term on the board of supervisors.

Easton will soon issue a survey and a series of community discussions aimed at improving public transportation routes between the city's neighborhoods.

A Northampton County Council candidate called for "civility and compassion" Monday in response to screenshots that appear to show a Northampton County Council member and Easton School District nurse administrator write that conservative activist Charlie Kirk's family is better off since he was assassinated.

It will offer affordable spay and neuter surgeries, wellness visits, vaccines, TNR services and more, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Wednesday by appointment only.

A Northampton County Councilwoman and Easton Area School District employee has drawn the ire of many parents and individuals for her criticism of media personality Charlie Kirk, who was killed on Wednesday.

Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone's workforce housing ordinance passed council on Wednesday, launching a new program to promote affordable residences for those who fall in the middle income bracket.

Easton's South Side now has an artistic historic mural, detailing the neighborhood's rich history of famous spots and individuals which have kept the community going for nearly two centuries.

Easton resident Robert Morisie, 69, a retired New York City firefighter, shared his memories of responding to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center at an event in Hanover Township on Thursday evening.

Robert Marley, of North Wales, was struck by a vehicle around 10:09 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Steely Hill and County Line roads in Williams Township, state police said.

Cardi B, best known for her 11-times-platinum hits "Bodak Yellow" in 2017 and "I Like It" (with Bad Bunny and J Balvin) in 2018, will appear in the area on Sept. 20.