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.
-
Whitehall OKs 116-home Emerson Village plan despite concerns; Fellowship Apartment expansion delayedWhitehall Township Board of Commissioners unanimously approval a developer's request to construct 57 townhomes and 59 single-unit homes along Rural Road in two phases, not one, as was originally proposed. -
Arts Academy Charter Middle School in Salisbury Township dedicated the school building in honor of outgoing executive director William Fitzpatrick.
-
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held Thursday for a 145-room Courtyard by Marriott at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. The hotel is expected to open late next year or early 2027.
-
Jillian Mercado, a model and advocate who has spastic muscular dystrophy, urged those with challenges to continue fighting for equality at an event at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation on Wednesday night.
-
The Giant Company has made a $50,000 donation to the River Crossing YMCA to buy nearly 13,000 gallons of milk for its preschool students.
-
Two land developers' requests to build residential units in phases were reviewed by the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners on Monday night.
-
Sixty-two acres of donated land along Santee Mill Road in Bethlehem will become the future home of the Industrial Archives & Library.
-
The debut of the $48.5 million Lifestyle Community Center in Upper Macungie Township took another step closer on Thursday afternoon at a walking news conference. The first of 18 heavy timber trusses, imported from Austria, was installed this month on 188,000-square-foot, multi-functional indoor facility.
-
The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office is investigating the fatal shooting that occurred in the 100 block of North 38th Street in South Whitehall on Wednesday afternoon.
-
Technology is a major component in PPL Electric Utilities' ability to provide reliable service to its 1,700 customers in Eastern and Central Pennsylvania.
-
An appreciative community packed Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown to bid farewell to Bishop Edward P. Cullen, 90, who died May 9. Cullen was the third Bishop of Allentown, having served from 1998 until his retirement in 2009 at age 76.
-
The first stage of the Lehigh Valley Passenger Rail Analysis project will be completed by October, it was revealed on Wednesday during a Lehigh Valley Transportation Study committee virtual public meeting.
-
First-time candidate Cindy O'Brien won the Republican primary in the race for Bethlehem Area School Board.
-
Pedestrian safety continues to be the primary concern for residents regarding the Riverside Drive Multimodal Revitalization Corridor Project planned along the Lehigh River in Allentown and Whitehall.
-
The Parkland School District budget that was voted on and approved Tuesday night includes a 2.5% property tax increase. The tax hike is district's highest in the past seven years, but is still the lowest millage rate in Lehigh County.
-
Mattel has marketed a Barbie doll that represents those with Down syndrome.
-
Pennsylvania Youth Theatre has initiated a $1 million capital campaign as it searches for a future home. The organization will likely be displaced when the Banana Factory complex is demolished for a new cultural arts center.
-
Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio is working to determine the identity of skeletal remains discovered by hikers in Canal Park in Allentown in April 1991. Forensic analysis has shown the remains to be an African-American male, aged 25-35 at time of death, who grew up in the South.
-
Upon arriving at Coca-Cola Park on Monday evening, Southern Lehigh and Salisbury were surprised to learn they'd be playing their regularly scheduled game there as part of the IronPigs' annual Little League Takeover event.
-
Newcomers looking to unseat three incumbents in primary election for Bethlehem Area school board.
-
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission clarified that the proposed South Side Bethlehem Cultural Arts Center isn't expected to meet LEED green certification in construction.
-
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission comprehensive planning committee on Tuesday directed the project developers of the proposed cultural arts center to incorporate environmentally friendly materials in its construction.
