Stolen Picasso, Murder Trial Top Local News

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 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., district attorney's office.

A Northampton County jury has found a 45-year-old man guilty of first-degree murder in last year's stabbing of an Easton man. Lawrence Gaines was sentenced to spent life in prison for the killing of William Thompson last year.

$1.4 Million For Easton School Security?

The first phase of security upgrades at Easton Area schools could cost $1.4 million, the school board learned Tuesday night. That figure—provided to the board by D'Huy Engineering—is nearly three times larger than the  district officials projected two months ago.

Next week, the Easton Area School Board is scheduled to vote on the school district's 2013-2014 budget. It's just not clear yet which of three tax plans the board will choose, although all of them involve some district employees losing their jobs.