Easton News

Lafayette College was selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates to host the nation's only vice presidential debate this year. The commission has called off that debate and three presidential ones that it had expected to organize.

James Bartolacci, an Easton-area artist and grant-winner, is working on new pieces intended for an art exhibition in Germany.

A feature film, "The Next Play," is set to be shot in the Lehigh Valley in July 2025. The field hockey-themed drama also touches on pressure and suicide concerns that student-athletes face.

The Lehigh Valley ranks as the eighth-highest industrial market in the U.S., it was disclosed at a Lehigh Valley Planning Commission roundtable meeting on Friday.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights found Lafayette College did not consistently address instances of alleged harassment online and off campus last fall in the weeks following the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Wilson Area School District passed a $46.48 million budget for 2024-25, marking a 1% increase over last year's tax rate, according to the district's business manager.

The Delaware River Sojourn, an eight-day guided paddling and camping trip, is underway. About 100 paddlers are participating.

Northampton County Council must hold new hearings on a financing program for a project turning the former Wilson Borough Dixie Cup factory into apartments.

Looking for relief from the heat in Easton? The city is opening up City Hall and turning on the fire hydrants over the next few days to alleviate the sky-high temperatures.

Batch Creamery in Upper Saucon Township, Klein Dairy Farms in Forks Township and Crystal Spring Dairy Farm in North Whitehall Township are among the 41 stops on the Pennsylvania Ice Cream Trail. We checked out those and a bunch of others.

Shelly (Jacobs) Bartolacci is retiring as an Easton girls basketball coach three years after retiring from teaching. Her retirement marks the end of a 54-year association with the Easton Area School District as a student, teacher or coach.

Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. presented his 2024 budget to Easton City Council Monday, kicking off a series of meetings to be held over the next two months before it is finalized.

The fifth edition of College Hill Porchfest saw about 150 musicians perform at 31 improvised stages across the Easton neighborhood.

Bob Stem is the winningest football coach for two high schools — Bethlehem Catholic and Phillipsburg, his alma mater. Stem, a teacher and coach for most of his life, died Friday at age 84.

Northampton County Judge Anthony Beltrami joined the bench in 2006. He moonlights as an amateur harness driver at horse-racing tracks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Earlier this year he was named Amateur Driver of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association.

Several Christian churches will come together with prominent figures in the local LGBTQ+ community to discuss the complex relationship between the two this weekend at the Colors of Hope Conference in Easton.

The Lehigh Valley and Forks Township planning commissions are weighing the school’s plans for a $10 million lacrosse center at Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex.

Easton's garbage and recycling transportation contract is nearly double the cost of the previous one. City officials are exploring options to prevent that increase from passing on to residents.

A local initiative to develop a sustainable farm food infrastructure was instrumental in Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding choosing to appear in Easton to announce the theme for the 2024 state Farm Show in Harrisburg.

The Eerie Easton Walking Tour is underway, and while there are no creepy clowns, there are plenty of real-life horror tales of murder and mania.

Graze Craze is a charcuterie store offering curated grazing boards and boxes at 4612 Broadway Road in the Tilghman Square shopping center in South Whitehall. More locations in the Bethlehem and Easton areas are planned.

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.