Easton News

"The entire regiment deserves some sort of reconsideration, whether it’s by BusPatrol or by legislative change,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.

A Multi-Agency Resource Center will be open from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Gallery at the State Theatre for victims of the Hampton Hotel fire in Easton.

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.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs will host a cat-centric promotion at their game Saturday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Lehigh Valley Humane Society.

Easton activist Lance Wheeler, known for his work with West Ward WISE, has been cleared of charges of threats and abuse against a trio of Wilson teens in 2022.

Easton's Nurture Nature Center has been granted a novel parking variance which will allow it to add an immersive dome to the property without having to pay for secured parking at local lots.

The Easton Zoning Hearing Board denied a special exception request for a proposed 256-unit apartment complex in College Hill, likely due to traffic concerns, during their Monday meeting.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Crews worked Saturday to repair a sinkhole that opened in the westbound lanes of Route 22 in Northampton County. The 9-feet-deep sinkhole was partially in the right lane and highway shoulder, according to a PennDOT spokesman.

City Conservation Manager Rob Christopher and Ian Kindle, chair of Easton's Environmental Advisory Council, called on college officials to repair the deforested slope in a joint email sent Friday.

With restaurants facing high inflation, food and labor costs, Juan Martinez believes eventually, everything is going to level out and "good times will come."

The Small Business Administration has announced Pennsylvania’s Small Business Person of the Year is Dorothea Spencer, the owner and CEO of D. Gillette Industrial Services, who built her operation from the ground up via help from the community and the SBA.

Easton Police Chief Carl Scalzo responded to allegations of misconduct by his department in the arrest of Easton Councilwoman Taiba Sultana last year. Scalzo played video of police body camera footage during an Easton City Council meeting Wednesday night.

The Rutter's slogan is ‘Why Go Anywhere Else?’ — a loaded question in a Lehigh Valley landscape dotted with a Wawa or a Sheetz at seemingly every turn.