Easton News

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.

Allentown declared a snow emergency ahead of Sunday's major winter storm. Enforcement efforts in the city will begin Saturday morning.

Sal Panto Sr. was the father of Mayor Sal Panto Jr. and longtime proprietor of Sal's Meat Market on College Hill.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, award-winning composer, lyricist, performer and star of the Broadway show "Hamilton," will present this year’s Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Visiting Lecture on Feb. 12 at the Allan P. Kirby Sports Center.

Easton Zoning Hearing Board 0n Jan. 15 rejected special exception applications for the Easton Commerce Park warehouse project.

Former Forks Township Police Chief Michael Friel announced his retirement in December. Township supervisors approved a separation agreement but refused to disclose it until a Right-to-Know request was filed.

A record number of high schools in the Lehigh Valley and New Jersey will participate in this year's Freddy Awards — the State Theatre's annual recognition of Lehigh Valley high school musical theater.

2025 was quite the year for Easton, what with the months-long battle over Easton Commerce Park, concerns over the newly proposed EASD high school, and so much more.

A hot dog for only a penny? Jimmy's Hot Dogs in Palmer Township showed some customer appreciation on New Year's Eve by offering up their beloved franks for 1-cent each.

Of the thousands of stories covered and told in 2025, our staff picked some of their favorites. They included a bald eagle looking for love in the Hellertown area and an $11 million "sky dome" planned for Easton.

In 2025, LehighValleyNews.com readers gravitated toward stories that reflected mounting economic pressure, public safety concerns, environmental uncertainty and moments of sharp civic tension.

The owners of Jimmy's Hot Dogs say they'll hold a customer appreciation day as a way of saying thanks for the loyalty folks have shown since they took over over the longtime Easton-area business a year and a half ago.

A look back at some of our favorite arts, culture, and entertainment stories of the year, including Allentown Art Museum's must-see windows, Musikfest, Super Bowl bling, and a rock legend's last performance in Allentown.

For the first time, all three of the Lehigh Valley’s cities have a sustainability manager or coordinator, a role dedicated to sustainability initiatives and fighting the worsening impacts of climate change.

Seph Schlueter, whose song "Counting My Blessings" topped both Billboard's Christian Airplay and Christian Adult Contemporary charts, will play at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at Calvary Baptist Church at 5300 Green Pond Road.

Aman's Artisan Indian Cuisine will host a blood drive on Tuesday, Dec. 30, offering contributors a $20 dine-in meal voucher and a free ticket to the Sigal Museum.

A long-running Easton tavern announced its plans to close and asked patrons to visit in its last remaining days. It will close on New Year's Eve.

Keith Lampman-Perlman, who often goes by “KLP,” recently was appointed as the 176-year-old cemetery’s new executive director, a role focused on community engagement, preservation and fundraising.

Easton was honored in the AARP's 2026 10 Great — and Affordable — Places for Older People to Live list, making it the only place in Pennsylvania to be included in the roundup.