Phil Gianficaro
General Assignment ReporterA native of northeastern Pennsylvania, I've been a journalist for more than four decades. I've reported on events like the pope's visit and the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, local appearances by Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, covered the Flyers in the Stanley Cup finals, and the Eagles in the playoffs. However, the stories that have touched me most involve ordinary folks in our community. A 12-year-old boy getting the better of cancer; Holocaust survivors sharing horror stories they know the world needs to hear again and again; a little girl from Bucks County who grew up to become Miss America. These are the stories I'm committed to finding and sharing with our readers. About me: Married with a son and a daughter in college. Golf when I can. Morning coffee's a must; Favorite quote from my late mother: "There are givers and takers in this world, which do you want to be?" Contact me at PhilG@lehighvalleynews.com or 267-222-0540.
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A 76-apartment and retail development project on the site of the former SouthSide Boys & Girls Club on Fourth Street in Bethlehem is expected to be completed during the first half of 2025. -
Ronald Diehl Jr., of Quakertown, is among 18 individuals nationally who will receive a Carnegie Medal for acts of heroism. In 2022, Diehl pulled a pilot from a crashed and burning plane in Salisbury Township.
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There are those Christmases that remain clear and crisp as a cold Nebraska night. For an 11-year-old boy, this one in the late 1960s is near the top of the Christmas list.
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Palmer Township's Aiden Hess, 20, is in need of a donor kidney. A rare condition necessitates his use of a dialysis machine for nine hours every day.
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The fourth and final phase of the $58.7 million Parkland High School expansion project was approved by the South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners on Wednesday night.
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A proposal to construct a more-than-270,00-square-foot warehouse in Williams Township will advance to a review by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday night.
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Emmaus residents packed council chambers on Monday to complain about a 26% tax increase for 2025. Council voted 6-1 to approve the increase.
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Plans by Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley to construct a 1,200-square-foot addition to its existing administrative offices at 4501 Crackersport Road were approved by the South Whitehall Township Planning Commission on Thursday night.
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At Manufacturers Resource Center on Wednesday, area manufacturing volunteers assembled 40 youth bicycles to be distributed to children through the Community Bike Works program.
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The Lehigh Valley’s Gross Domestic Product grew to a record $55.7 billion in 2023, according to government data released this month.
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The Emerson Village land development project at Rural Road received preliminary final approval by the Whitehall Township Planning Commission on Wednesday night. The plan calls for construction of 116 townhomes and single-unit homes on 35 acres.
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The 26th annual Lehigh Valley Auto Show will be held March 20-23 at Lehigh University. More than 400 vehicles, domestic and imported, will be on display.
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Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle L. Kott and Mayor J. William Reynolds released a joint statement Monday calling a proposed "welcoming ordinance" regarding federal immigration policies unnecessary in the city.
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Crowds packed the Nowhere Coffee Co., which held the grand opening of its location at 17 N. Ninth St. in Allentown on Friday.
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With a $100,000 grant secured by state Sen. Nick Miller, R-14th District, the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown renovated the 53-year-old gymnasium at its Sixth Street Clubhouse.
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Star Wars Day at the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown will take place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15.
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The Lehigh Valley IronPigs 17th annual Pig Day celebration will be from 9 a.m. till noon March 1 at Coca-Cola Park. Fans will be treated to free food, refreshments, entertainment and activities for children.
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An Allentown man was sentenced on Tuesday to 18-to-60 months in state prison in the accidental death of his 3-year-old son, who shot himself with an unattended gun.
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Water Street in Whitehall Township where a man was struck and killed on Dec. 25 may be temporarily closed to address safety concerns, Mayor Joseph J. Marx Jr. said.
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A ballot referendum that would ask voters to cede electoral authority to Whitehall Township officials who would then appoint the treasurer was rejected by the board of commissioners on Monday night.
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Palmer Township's Aiden Hess, 20, pictured with his mother Melissa, continues searching for a living donor kidney after transplant surgery was cancelled late last month.
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Win or lose in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is viewed as a champion in his hometown of Whitehall and throughout the Lehigh Valley.
