Hey, Mr. Mayor! Gimme a Tour of Easton

Easton's Main Street Initiative kicks off second year of 'FAM' Tours.

Visiting Easton next weekend? If you'd like, you can get a tour of the city from Mayor Sal Panto Jr. The Easton Main Street Initiative is bringing back its FAM—stands for "Familiarity"—tours this summer, designed to introduce (or reintroduce) the city to visitors. "A walking tour throughout the downtown, the tours point out unique historical points, new businesses and upcoming downtown & residential developments," the initiative said in a news release. "The tours promote the economic development the city has seen in the recent years and also express the walkability of the downtown district." The first tour of the season will leave from the western side of Centre Square Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m.

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House Painter Stole Picasso Drawing, Police Say

Easton resident Joselito Vega accused of swiping, selling artwork in New York.

Prosecutors in New York said an Easton man stole $100,000 worth of artwork—including a piece by Picasso—from an estate he had been hired to paint. Joselito Vega, 42, of 139 Scott St., is charged with grand larceny, money laundering and identity theft in two different New York counties, and faces up to 26 years in prison, according to a news release from the Kings County, N.Y. (Brooklyn) district attorney's office. Easton police, working with Kings County, served a search warrant on Vega's home last week. Investigators seized computers and other records, which are being evaluated. Prosecutors say Vega was hired to paint the Schulhof Estate in Kings Point, N.Y. in March 2011. The estate, just east of New York City, is home to a considerable …

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Forks, Easton Hold Summer Camps

Find out where camps are taking place in the Lehigh Valley this summer.

Purple Cow Gets New Name for 15th Birthday

Downtown Easton ice cream shop will become the Bank Street Creamery after Michigan company trademarks the name.

When Easton's Purple Cow Creamery opens for its 15th year on Thursday, it will be under a differerent name. Rather than engage in a David and Goliath trademark battle with a Michigan company with the same name, the owners of the popular downtown ice cream shop frequented by Palmer and Forks township residents will rechristen it the Bank Street Creamery. "While we are saddened to see our name change, we are excited to be the same family-owned business committed to our customers," co-owner Lynn Wallen said in a news release. The shop's ice cream and ownership will remain unchanged. The creamery will hold a 15th anniversary celebration this May. Michigan's Purple Cow appears to be a dairy launched by the Meijer grocery store chain in the …

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Easton Safer Despite Record Killings, Mayor Says

Violent crime dropped in city in 2012, the same year as a 'historic' number of homicides.

This news should make residents of Palmer and Forks Townships feel better. Despite a "historic" number of homicides last year, Easton was a safer place in 2012, Mayor Sal Panto said Wednesday. Panto addressed the city's record six killings in his annual state of the city address, saying that crime actually dropped in Easton last year. Violent crimes went down 14 percent, the mayor said, with overall crime declining by 16 percent. Of the six killings last year, police have identified suspects in four cases. One of those four—the death of Matthew Kelly—was ruled self-defense last week by a Northampton County grand jury. Panto used much of the addresses to review signficant city accomplishments of 2012: The mayor also praised the city's …

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Employee Stole Car, Checks from Palmer Dealership, Police Say

Easton man accused of taking car from Palmer Township dealer where he worked.

An Easton man is accused of stealing a car from a Palmer Township car dealership where he'd worked. And township police say that investigation led them to another crime: the employee's theft of three checks meant for Brown Daub Kia customers. Melvin Caldwell, 29, of 319 W. Wilkes-Barre St., was charged Thursday with theft, unauthorized used of a vehicle, forgery, receiving stolen property and theft by deception. According to court records, the investigation began when Caldwell's girlfriend contacted Brown Daub Kia and told the dealership one of its cars was parked at her house. Police say video surveillance footage showed Caldwell taking a green Kia Soul on Feb. 15. Caldwell had been expected to come back to work Feb. 16, but didn't show …

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Who's Hiring Around Palmer and Forks Townships?

Our weekly look at local employers looking for workers.

Looking for a job? There's plenty this week. Each week, we look at places like Craigslist and Indeed to see who's hiring around Easton and Palmer and Forks Townships.  Accounts Receivables Associate Cost Accountant Paralegal/Administrator Receptionist/Administrator Administrative Assistant Data Specialist Tattoo Artist/Apprentice Customer Service Rep Assistant Preschool Teacher Line Cook Pizza Maker Residential Cleaner Diesel Mechanic Plating Machine Operator Full-Time Caregiver Roofing Laborer/Ground Man General Laborer Bank Teller  

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3 Firefighters Hurt in Youell's Oyster House Blaze

Nothing but the frame left as an early-morning fire tears through Youell's Oyster House; reports of an injured firefighter received from the field.

An early-morning fire has destroyed Youell's Oyster House in West Allentown, leaving three firefighters injured. UPDATE 11:37am: Nearby homes are being evacuated while what's left ot Youell's is being demolished. WFMZ reports that homes nearby were not damaged by the fire.  UPDATE 8:43am: A breaking news alert confirms that two firefighters were injured when a wall fell. A third reported with burns on his forehead.  Breaking news alerts about the three-alarm fire started streaming in around 4:30 this morning. According to the alerts, backup fire crews were called to the scene as crews battled the blaze.  According to WFMZ, three firefighters were injured when the structure started to collapse. Alerts were first sent out about an injured …

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Lafayette College Names First Female President

Alison Byerly named new president of Easton-based Lafayette College, replacing Daniel Weiss.

Alison Byerly has been named the new president of Lafayette College, the school announced Wednesdsay morning. Byerly, who will take office July 1, replacing current President Daniel Weiss, who is stepping down to become president of Haverford College. She is also the first female president of an inistitutation that began admitting women in 1970. In a news release, Byerly said she was "excited by the opportunity to lead such a dynamic and ambitious institution." "As an undergraduate college that encompasses both the traditional liberal arts and a strong engineering program, Lafayette provides an extraordinary range and depth of opportunities to students, yet it remains deeply committed to the highly individualized, one-on-one mentoring that…

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