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.
-
The contract extension makes Barkley, the former Whitehall High School star, the highest-paid running back in NFL history. -
A donation to Essentials Café today, on Moravian Day of Giving, will help the organization continue to serve 400 breakfast and lunch meals per week to those in need in our community.
-
Concerns over an inadequate number of parking spaces have stalled approval of a townhomes and single-unit homes development project at Rural Road in Whitehall Township.
-
The South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners on Wednesday are expected to appoint former South Brunswick (N.J.) Township Police Capt. Frank J.C. Lombardo as chief of police. Lombardo would fill the vacancy created when Chief Glen Dorney resigned in March.
-
At the Allentown Art Museum on Saturday, Dr. James Nangeroni was gifted a painting he entered into a Crayola children's arts contest when he was a third-grade student at Dodd Elementary in 1992.
-
A rezoning proposal that would clear the way for an apartment and commercial/retail space project in Bethlehem was reviewed by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday night.
-
Easton legend and former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes was honored on Wednesday with a watercolor portrait for his work with St. Luke's University Health Network.
-
A proposed 25,800-square-foot childcare center in Salisbury Township would be named in memory of Monsignor John P. Murphy, long-time cleric in Allentown who died in 2023 at age 86.
-
The LVPC Environment Committee on Tuesday approved a proposal by Lower Nazareth Township to modify its Agricultural Security Area program. The ASA program lets farmland owners enroll their properties in an ASA, which then is managed by a municipality.
-
The Whitehall-Coplay School Board on Monday accepted a letter of retirement from Director of Athletics Bob Hartman. Hartman has served in that role for 23 years. His retirement is effective in August.
-
Plans for a 190,400-square-foot distribution facility along Main Street received unanimous conditional final approval from the Whitehall Township Planning Commission on Wednesday night.
-
Billionaire and civilian astronaut Jared Isaacman discussed the importance of space exploration during an event at Lehigh University on Tuesday night.
-
Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners advanced plans Monday to address the chronic vehicle speeding issue on Water Street in the township's Darktown neighborhood.
-
The findings from St. Luke’s University Health Network’s recently completed triennial Community Health Needs Assessment revealed a host of medical-related conditions and concerns of Allentown residents.
-
Low-income residents from in and around the Lehigh Valley met with UGI representatives Wednesday for assistance in managing their monthly heating bills.
-
The former Nazareth Area and Ohio State University wrestling star enrolled in an ARD program. Charges of unlicensed gun possession and drug possession are likely to be dismissed upon completion of the program.
-
Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners discussed several aspects of the temporary Water Street closure during a workshop session on Monday night.
-
At one point, Bethlehem Steel's namesake mill employed 31,000. Its last steel beam was cast 30 years, but the work lives on in the generations of steelworkers who translated a tough job and difficult conditions into a better life.
-
The club’s youth, known as the Space Cadets, participated in NASA’s VIRTEX program—Virtual Field Trips to Extreme Environments—which connects students nationwide with NASA scientists through hands-on STEM learning.
-
Former Phillies Steve Carlton and Ricky Bottalico were at a meet-and-greet event at Coca-Cola Park on Thursday. The event was sponsored by St. Luke's University Health Network, of which Carlton is a community ambassador.
-
The 2026 Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic, a PGA TOUR Champions event, will be held Sept. 28-Oct. 4 at Lehigh Country Club. The 54-hole tournament will feature a field of 78 PGA TOUR Champions players.
-
The Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute named its immunotherapy center in honor of philanthropists Peter and Odete Kelly, who gifted the institute $12 million on Tuesday.
