
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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The temporary closure of Water Street in Whitehall Township to address traffic calming measures is close but undetermined, Mayor Joseph J. Marx Jr. said.
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Giant Markets Feeding School Kids Program made a donation of $8,623.86 to the Allentown School District's Child Nutrition Department on Friday.
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Easterseals Eastern Pennsylvania celebrated its 100th anniversary at a luncheon at Lehigh Country Club on Wednesday afternoon.
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The Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners heard results of a recreation center feasibility study from engineering and architectural firms. The proposed $13 million project would be at Jefferson Street Park.
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The high school students competing at the FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Robotics Championships at Lehigh University this weekend are not merely building robots. They're building character.
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Mack Trucks will display a 100-year-old Mack AB model tractor manufactured in Allentown at the 125th New York International Auto Show April 18-27.
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The newly opened YMCA River Crossing child care center in Whitehall is the ninth such center opened by the YMCA in the Lehigh Valley.
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Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health, introduced two weapon-detecting K-9s on Monday at its Cedar Crest campus. The 18-month-old male Labrador retriever and female Springer Spaniel will visit all LVHN properties in an effort to increase safety.
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On Wednesday in Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity continued her cross-state tour of informing residents about Money Match, a program that returns unclaimed money and property that belongs to them.
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The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday approved its staff review of the proposed Executive Education Academy Charter School multi-sport stadium project. It now goes to the Allentown Planning Commission.
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On July 1, the YMCA of Bucks and Hunterdon counties will merge with the Greater Valley YMCA in Pen Argyl to form the River Crossing YMCA.
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Downed trees and power outages were the result of a powerful storm that pounded the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night.
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B Social, a state-of-the-art, multi-entertainment center and event venue, will hold its grand opening on July 15 at Saucon Square shopping center on Route 378 in Lower Saucon Township.
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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.
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US Rep. Susan Wild, D-7th District, and USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small visited the Greater Valley YMCA in Pen Argyl on Thursday for the kickoff of its Summer Nutrition Program.
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The City of Allentown held a Juneteenth Block Party celebration at Center Square on Tuesday, commemorating the last bastion of slavery in the U.S. in 1865.
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A continuance was granted for the sixth time this year to Paxos Group real estate company for a hearing before the Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board on charges it has violated a zoning ordinance prohibiting the renting or leasing of condominiums as apartments on Arey Lane.
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The Lehigh County funded Mid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Services, or MARS, opened a new substance abuse-related treatment center in Allentown on Friday.The FORT program (Families Obtaining Recovery Together) will join the slate of treatment options offered, making this groundbreaking program available to more Lehigh County residents free of charge.
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On Sunday morning, the Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ in Allentown will hold its reopening worship service for the first time since it closed in 2022.
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Barnes & Noble at Lehigh Valley Mall on Wednesday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking a return to its original location. National award-winning author James McBride was on hand to sign copies of his latest novel.
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Bethlehem native Julianna Rodrigues, who has a form of muscular dystrophy, was the keynote speaker at the inaugural Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Collaborative at Moravian University, on Tuesday morning.
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Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners on Monday night gave final conditional approval to a proposed Wawa at MacArthur and Mickley roads.