Easton News

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.

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.

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.

Representatives from convenience chain Rutter's appeared before Palmer Township's planning commission to discuss opening a new location in the Lehigh Valley.

Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Jukebox, which reinterprets contemporary hit songs as jazz, ragtime and swing music, will perform at the theater at 7 p.m. July 21.

The Easton Historic District Commission reviewed numerous alterations to a plan for The Confluence, a proposed 273-unit apartment complex at 185 S. Third St., where a Days Inn once stood.

Attorney General Michelle Henry’s office announced Monday they would provide an opportunity for those who purchased a ticket to a Philadelphia comic convention which never materialized to obtain a refund from the Easton company who organized the event.

It’s expected to be a busy day for power crews in the Lehigh Valley with a wind advisory in place until 8 p.m., northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 55 mph. Met-Ed and PPL Electric Utilities were reporting scattered outages.

Lehigh Valley restaurant owners get candid on inflation, labor challenges and the state of the industry as they struggle to bring customers in the door.

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.

Sample beer from local breweries, plus Irish eats and other drink specials at these pub crawls in the Lehigh Valley.

Porters' Pub is celebrating the Pipers taking over the beloved bar this Saturday with a special ribbon cutting at 700 Northampton Street.