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 eighth annual Bob Price Memorial Turkey Drive was held at Coca-Cola Park on Friday. More than 2,000 turkeys were donated by area businesses and residents to help feed those in need in the Lehigh Valley. -
A former Plainfield Township supervisor implored the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission to review a 1988 impact study before giving its approval to a zoning amendment request to expand the Grand Central landfill operated by Waste Management.
-
Community Action Lehigh Valley celebrated its 60th anniversary of assisting low-income folks on Wednesday.
-
A proposal to build a multi-story, 203,400-square-foot school in Allentown was advanced by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's comprehensive planning committee on Tuesday.
-
The Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association held the ApprenticeshipPA Collaborative and Expo at Wind Creek Event Center. The program is designed to give people paid on-the-job training and employment in lieu of needing a college degree.
-
The Lehigh Valley Palestine Coalition hosted the teach-in program in an effort to educate and engage the community in thoughtful conversation about the Israel-Hamas war and strategies organizing support for a ceasefire.
-
The 28th annual Lights in the Parkway, an Allentown holiday tradition, will be held on the Lehigh Parkway from Friday, Nov. 29 through Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. Visitors can drive through more than a mile of enchanting holiday displays featuring between 175,000-200,000 LED lights.
-
Worries over anticipated tractor trailer traffic around a proposed distribution facility along Main Street have slowed the plan in Whitehall Township.
-
The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual meeting and awards luncheon at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem on Thursday.
-
The City of Bethlehem erected a 45-feet-high Christmas tree at Payrow Plaza on Wednesday. The annual tree-lighting ceremony will be Friday, Nov. 29.
-
The Whitehall-Coplay School District held its third annual Zephyr Holiday event at the Burlington store in Whitehall. Twenty-four elementary and middle school students from challenged families were given $200 gift cards to shop for holiday gifts for family members. Members of area law enforcement accompanied the children during the event.
-
The Lehigh Valley is projected to have significant increases in employment and population up to 2050.
-
The Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley was nominated for the grant by the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
-
The third time was the charm for LoriAnn Fehnel, who was sworn in as a Whitehall-Coplay School District director on Tuesday.
-
Whitehall Township's proposed budget includes the first real estate tax increase since 2019. Township commissioners are expected to vote on the spending plan next week.
-
Plans for a 105 single-family home land subdivision along Rising Sun Road received a recommendation for preliminary final approval from the North Whitehall Township Planning Commission.
-
Macungie residents, including a long-serving corporal of the police department, packed a borough council meeting Wednesday morning to protest a revised police internal affairs policy.
-
North Whitehall Township Planning Commission voted Tuesday to reject Gene Weierbach's contention that a zoning ordinance pertaining to an auto repair shop operating in a residential zone is unconstitutional.
-
The City of Allentown has partnered with Blue Zones Project-Allentown to promote no drinking and driving during the holiday season.
-
La novena edición del Bob Price Memorial Turkey Drive ayudará a familias con inseguridad alimentaria en Lehigh Valley a celebrar un Día de Acción de Gracias más feliz.
-
The ninth year of the Bob Price Memorial Turkey Drive will help food insecure families in the Lehigh Valley enjoy a happy Thanksgiving.
-
On Thursday, one of the final pieces of timber was placed atop an outer wall of the $47 million, 188,000-square-foot, multi-functional indoor facility under construction at Grange Park.
