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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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. -
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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Lehigh Valley residents were seeking jobs and advertising jobs at the Pennsylvania CareerLink/Workforce Lehigh Valley jobs tent outside the Crayola Experience on Tuesday morning.
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A bike repair station donated by the Whitehall Area Rotary Club was dedicated at the Ironton Rail Trail pavilion on Monday.
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An eight-year-old girl dealing with a congenital heart condition cut the ribbon at Lehigh Valley Zoo to announce the American Heart Association of Greater Lehigh Valley and Berks County annual Heart Walk in September.
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A self-storage project was advanced, and two others projects were tabled by the Whitehall Township Planning Commission.
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A Pride flag was vandalized after being stolen from the front porch of a rabbi's Lehigh Valley home. The recovered flag, in tatters, is flying once again. "What they did to the flag has an added measure of hostility and danger associated with it," the rabbi said.
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A renewable natural gas plant adjacent to the Bethlehem Landfill opened on Tuesday morning.
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The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts conducted a brainstorming seminar in Allentown on Monday to advance a statewide arts and culture plan.
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Raising his young children to be good citizens and leaving the door to the 2028 Olympics open just a smidge are among the topics Lehigh Valley native Darian Cruz discussed as he returned from competing in wrestling at the Paris Olympics.
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Two elementary schools and one middle school in the Bethlehem Area School District distributed free backpacks to incoming students on Friday.
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The Historic Hotel Bethlehem has been voted as the USA Today's best historic hotel/resort in America for a record fourth consecutive year.
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Allentown School District's OneAllentown Back-to-School Bash was designed to show parents the caring nature of those who will prepare their children for their future.
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Improvements at aging Steckel Elementary School and Whitehall-Coplay Middle School will begin with window replacements.
