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.

Two men, including one at-large, have been charged with attempted homicide and other offenses in the shooting of six individuals in Easton this month.

The Bachmann Publick House in Easton soon will expand its visiting hours to accommodate more guests interested in touring the colonial landmark.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has proposed raising tolls on its eight toll bridges starting in 2026 to keep up with rising maintenance costs.

Bob's Discount Furniture just off Easton-Nazareth Highway (Route 248) celebrated its grand opening Friday by giving back to two Easton nonprofit organizations.

Part of Climate Action Campaign’s Extreme Weather Emergency Tour, the event centered on how extreme weather, exacerbated by climate change, has deadly consequences.

Easton City Council approved a measure to partner with Solsmart, an organization which helps facilitate the growth of solar energy communities across the country, at their Wednesday meeting.

Easton's workforce housing initiative, which would benefit the "missing middle," will need some more consideration — especially in regard to who will run the program — before it reaches a vote at City Council.

Route 33 runs to the west and Hope Road to the east of the currently vacant site, with residential and commercial areas nearby. Northampton Country Club is located to the north.

Palmer residents and nearby neighbors came out to the supervisors' meeting Monday night to implore the board to take some action on the million-square-foot Easton Commerce Park warehouse project.

Hologram Zoo Lehigh Valley, only the second such attraction in the country, opened its doors to an enthusiastic crowd at Easton's City Hall on Friday.

ICE has confirmed the arrest of a suspected murderer from Honduras, Yobani Bonilla-Bonilla, aka, Gilberto Perez-Alvarado, in Easton in June 2025.

The Zucchini 500 returned to Easton this Wednesday for its 19th year, offering kids and adults the chance to transform a squash into a vehicle and compete in a race of creativity and community.