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.

Moccasins Across America, a traveling group of First Nations people, made a stop in Easton on Tuesday to engage in a ceremony of reconciliation and healing.

Easton's community has come out in force to offer support to the family and friends of firefighter Tyler Weidner, who died last week.

A retired Easton teacher is aiming to bring South Side Easton a new community library focused on helping the young and old throughout the neighborhood.

Scannell Properties engaged in a rebuttal to address questions about the Easton Commerce Park project from Easton's Planning Commission Wednesday,

John Derwin Bradley of Schnecksville was sentenced Thursday for the 2023 murder of a North Catasauqua mother and daughter and the aggravated assault of a juvenile who was seriously injured in a car crash after Bradley fled the scene with her in the vehicle.

Developers behind a 73-unit condo in Easton secured a land development plan approval on Wednesday, though not without plenty of discussion about parking.

The council on Tuesday heard from officials and experts about Pittsburgh's dark sky efforts, aimed at tamping down on light pollution and saving money.

Police say evidence of a shooting was at 11th and Church Streets, and three teenage males wearing dark clothing and black masks fled from the location.

Senate Bill 980, introduced Wednesday, would phase out the manufacture, sale and use of firefighting foams containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, beginning in 2026.

Charles Bellis III owned Easton Beverage and joined the Palmer Township board of supervisors for a six-year term in 2024. The township announced his passing on Monday afternoon.

First responders came together in Easton Thursday for the first Easton Emergency Management Task Force meeting, aiming to strengthen bonds with first responders and community organizations that play pivotal roles during disasters.

Easton may soon opt to ban the sale of all animals in pet shops, in a move aiming to protect vulnerable creatures who often suffer from the retail trade.