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 PennDOT Workers' Memorial honors the 90 employees who died while on the job since 1970. The memorial is displayed along North Cedar Crest Boulevard in Allentown Thursday through Friday. -
Two Allentown School District teachers and a Salisbury Township School District teacher were chosen at random to participate in a shopping spree at Crayola Experience to help their students during Teacher Appreciation Week. The catch? They had just over a minute.
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The grand opening of Sheetz on Fourth Street in Bethlehem on Thursday was well attended. One woman drove more than an hour for her first taste of Sheetz coffee.
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The 36 individuals who lost their homes after a three-alarm fire on in Allentown on Tuesday are being offered shelter and assistance at the Allentown YMCA by the American Red Cross.
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After more than five hours, a hearing before Bethlehem City Council regarding a New Jersey developer's request for a zoning variance to build 317 apartments on Hanover Avenue was suspended Tuesday night. A date and time for the resumption of the hearing was not immediately established.
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The VFW Post 7293 (Egypt VFW), Whitehall, is conducting a fundraiser for a planned memorial to honor submarine veterans from World War II.
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Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Friday that six persons have been charged in a large-scale burglary ring throughout the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.
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The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday approved a staff review of a Parkland School District proposal for a second floor being added to its new operations center currently under construction.
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The Lehigh Valley Comprehensive Planning Committee on Tuesday agreed to add new definitions for ordinances in Plainfield Township addressing the keeping and raising of chickens at residential properties.
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Incumbent state Rep. Zach Mako defeated newcomer Zachari Halkias, a Slatington councilman, in the GOP primary in the 183rd District. He will be opposed by Democrat Joseph Lenzi in the November general election.
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Demolition began Monday on the 62-year-old Haupert Union Building at Moravian University. A $40 million student union will open in September 2025.
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Scranton-based D&D Realty Group has a tentative $9 million agreement to purchase the PPL Tower Building in Allentown, it was announced on Friday. The company has a history of transforming properties into mixed-use commercial spaces, apartments and other amenities.
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The chemical odor at Sharp Packaging Solutions that sent 54 employees to the hospital on Friday remains a mystery.
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An application by the Lehigh Valley STEAM Academy Charter School to open in the Whitehall-Coplay School District was unanimously rejected by the school board Monday night.
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Catasauqua Police Chief Douglas Kish retired Friday, a month after a state report identified a litany of issues with his department.
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Emergency crews were called to Sharp Packaging Solutions, a pharmaceutical packaging company in Upper Macungie, after some employees became ill Friday afternoon.
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Players league wide are complaining about Major League Baseball's new uniforms, particularly the see-through pants. The uniforms were manufactured by Fanatics' facilities in Easton.
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Katarah A. Jordan has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown. She succeeds Deb Fries Jackson, who is retiring after 40 years of service with Girls Club of Allentown and the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown.
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Ten farms in the Greater Lehigh Valley have joined the Lehigh Valley Food System Coalition to develop a sustainable food infrastructure for organizations in the region. The mission: Combat food insecurity throughout the Lehigh Valley. According to the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, 1 in 10 people locally are food insecure.
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Northampton County Elections Office is seeking 10 additional county registered voters to serve as poll workers for the primary election on April 23 and general election on Nov. 5.
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Nancy A. Walker, Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor & Industry, was in Allentown on Thursday to announce $4.2 million in Industry Partnership grants for projects statewide that will prepare state workers and high school seniors for family-sustaining jobs.
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A change.org petition opposing the new mascot chosen by the Whitehall-Coplay School District has attracted more than 1,200 signatures. The mascot, named Big Z, is so named in honor of the school name Zephyr, which was also a train that once ran through Whitehall Township.
