Spanish Restaurant Gets a 'Si' From Zoners

But neighbors of new eatery say it will eat up already scarce parking.

Easton's Zoning Hearing Board has given its OK to a new restaurant in the city's West Ward. The board on Monday night voted to approve a parking variance for an as-yet-unnamed eatery at 1054 Northampton St., which owner Cesar Montesdoeca says will serve "Spanish style" cuisine. Montesdoeca needed the variance because parking is scarce in the neighborhood. "We don’t have any parking to offer them," he said. "I don’t see how we can fix that. If there was a vacant lot we could buy, we’d do that." Neighbors say that lack of parking is exactly why the board should have denied Montesdoeca's request. They say it's bad now, and worse in the fall, when the nearby Cottingham Stadium brings in scores of Easton Area High School football fans. "We …

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Man Shot Dead in Easton Friday Night Identified

Police are searching for the suspect in a fatal shooting around 9 p.m. Friday.

Easton police have filed homicide charges against a man suspected in a fatal shooting Friday night in the West Ward. Police responded to a report of shots fired and found a man between houses. He died from a gunshot wound. It was the city's third homicide this year. Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek has ruled the death a homicide, according to a news release from city police. He identified the victim as George Jeter, 28, of S. 14th Street in Easton.  On Saturday night, police issued an arrest warrant for Naheem Adams, 20, for Jeter's death, and charged him with criminal homicide. Adams is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 immediately. Jeter died of multiple gunshot wounds, the coroner said…

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Easton Man Plans West Ward Youth Event

Mario Figueroa wants to provide a positive influence for West Ward teens.

A few years ago, Mario Figureroa was the type of person few people in Easton wanted around: the guy who comes from New York City and sells drugs. But after spending two years in prison on a gun charge, he decided he wanted to turn things around. On Saturday, he'll take a big step in that direction by hosting a six-hour youth event at Centennial Park. From 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., kids can come to the park to play in basketball, checkers, chess and Scrabble tournaments -- and win prizes such as gift certificates -- engage in a dance competition, or just socialize.  Figueroa, 33, said he got the idea after listening to Pastor Phillip Davis at the Greater Shiloh Church. "I heard Pastor Davis say 'It's time for us to take it to the streets,'" …

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Four Arrested in Early Morning Drug Raids

Early morning drug raids at three West Ward houses by Easton Police and the Northampton County Drug Task Force resulted in the arrests of four suspected drug dealers.

Four suspected drug dealers were arrested in Easton's West Ward early this morning, according to reports by The Morning Call and Lehigh Valley Live. Warrant searches conducted at 912 Spruce St., 924 Spruce St. and 936 Lehigh St. resulted in the arrests of Terrance Summers, 32, and Rodney Etienne, 35, on charges of possession with intent to deliver heroin, Omar Stover, 32, for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, and Raynard Lonon, 30, for possession of a small amount of marijuana. Lonon will also be charged with three counts of delivery the reports indicated. Etienne also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for possession of a small amount of marijuana, police indicated. All four are set to be arraigned before District…

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Home Invasion Reported in West Ward

Man shot at but not injured, police say. Intended victim had outstanding warrant.

An Easton man was shot at during an attempted home invasion Tuesday, according to published reports. No one was seriously hurt during the incident at 1325 Washington St., the Express-Times reports, although the intended victim of the shooting was treated for a fall. The man was also taken away from the scene in handcuffs, after police discovered an outstanding warrant for him. The Morning Call says police discovered ballistic evidence inside the home. Investigators say the invasion wasn't a random act. This is the second time police have responded to gunshots on this block in the last few months. In December, a man was shot and wounded at 13th and Washington streets.

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An Independent View

West Ward Preservation Needs Proper Planning

Columnist Jon Geeting says West Ward needs to take a narrow focus for historic preservation.

The city of Easton and the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership recently applied for a grant to study a potential historic preservation district for the West Ward. As Ed Sieger reported, the West Ward has 18 different architectural styles, but many are covered up by aluminum siding. The neighborhood could be much more appealing to home buyers if more of these original facades were restored. The case for incentivizing more historic facade improvements is persuasive, and many cities have had great success with historical preservation as a development tool. Done well, preservation can beautify neighborhoods, raise property values, attract more high-income residents, and boost new construction. But a poorly designed conservation district can …

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Jon Geeting

10:49 am on Thursday, January 12, 2012

Those all sound like really worthy goals, I'm just concerned about the process. Somebody is going to have to pay the cost for the historic rehabs, but there are different ways to do it, with different implications. One way would be to just tax the property owners and create a fund to pay for the improvements you want to make. Another way to do it is to write up some regulations requiring that …   more ›

Easton Police: Shooting Was Suicide Attempt

Easton police say a man found shot in the head Sunday tried to commit suicide.

Easton police say a man found in the street early Sunday morning with a gunshot wound had attempted to kill himself. According to the Express-Times, a police investigation and interviews with the man's family determined the 22-year-old, who was not identified, had tried to commit suicide.  The man was found just after midnight Sunday at the 900 block of Elm Street near S. 10th Street.

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Your Turn

Your Turn: Rehabbing Old Homes

Groups like the Lehigh Valley Community Land Trust are fixing up old homes in Easton. What properties would you choose?

There's been a number of stories this year about efforts in the city to improve blighted properties. The city put out a most wanted list earlier this year of properties it wants to see fixed.  We've written about the Easton Redevelopment Authority's efforts to rehab homes in the West Ward. And the Express-Times reported today on a similar program by the Lehigh Valley Community Land Trust, which is also renovating homes in the West Ward, one at 1201 Bushkill Street, the other at 31 N. 9th St. So we're asking you: Are there homes in your neighborhood that can benefit from this sort of program? Let us know where they are. 

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Rowhome Gutted in West Ward Blaze

No people were injured in the fast moving fire that took the lives of two cats Wednesday morning.

  A fire that broke out at 703 Pearl St. at around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday morning was brought under control in about 20 minutes, but it wasn't fast enough to save the home. Easton Fire Department Chief John Bast said the fire is not suspicious, but investigation into the blaze is ongoing. “We're not going to release anything just yet,” he said. Homeowner Shelly Seip was home when her gas stove caught fire, she said. It was unclear whether she was cooking at the time, however initial indications are that the fire may have involved the gas line. Seip's two cats were killed in the blaze, and her home is considered a total loss, Bast said Next door neighbor Jennifer Werkheiser was also home when the fire started. “It was extremely scary,” she …

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Take Our Poll: Does Easton Need Another Farmers' Market?

Valley View Farms of Northampton gets nod for spot in West Ward.

The Easton Planing Commission has given approval for the owners of Valley View Farms of Northampton to open a year-round retail farm market in the West Ward district. The business has been a long-time seller at the Easton Farmers' Market, which is the oldest farmers market in operation in the nation.

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