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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Cindy Jakoby, of Barto, was selected on Tuesday night as the 10 millionth fan in the 17-year history of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. -
The Lincoln Leadership Academy Charter School in Allentown held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its $16.8 million school for fourth-to-eighth graders on Friday morning.
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Community Bike Works received more than $600,000 from the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study to fund its bicycle safety and repair program for students in the Lehigh Valley.
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The 173rd year of the Allentown Fair kicked off Wednesday night to large crowds enjoying food, live music, and the crowning of the 2025 fair queen.
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Commonwealth Charter Academy, a large, public, cyber charter school for all school-age children, plans to convert a nearly 47,000-square-foot, one-story building into office space for teachers and staff at 2200 W. Broad St.
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The taxiway expansion program is part of the LVIA’s new taxiway project for the proposed North Cargo Area Development Project.
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A judge on Monday set a status conference hearing regarding an Allentown developer’s lawsuit against the City of Allentown over issues with a homeless encampment near his residential property near Jordan Creek.
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Bubbakaoo's Burritos, a national, Mexican-themed restaurant, will hold its grand opening in the Hellertown area on Tuesday.
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A torpedo memorial was dedicated at VFW Egypt Post in Whitehall on Friday to honor submarine veterans who died during World War II.
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Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman shared strategies for success in sports and business at the 2025 BSI CORE Annual Summit at Musikfest Cafe at the ArtsQuest Center on Wednesday.
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Plans for the River Pointe Logistics Industrial Park Development Project in Upper Mount Bethel Township are inconsistent with those of FutureLV, according to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
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Citing the financial concerns of taxpayers, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission member Richard D. Molchany suggests slowing down the Lehigh Valley Passenger Rail project.
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The proposed River Point industrial park project for Upper Mount Bethel Township has residents questioning unanswered questions by Bethlehem developer Lou Pektor.
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Eighty volunteers helped lay 30,000 square feet of sod at the home of retired Marine Corps veteran Daniel Lasko, who lost his left leg in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2004.
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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.
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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.
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First-time candidate Cindy O'Brien won the Republican primary in the race for Bethlehem Area School Board.
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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.
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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.
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Mattel has marketed a Barbie doll that represents those with Down syndrome.
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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.
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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.
