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.
-
First-time candidate Cindy O'Brien won the Republican primary in the race for Bethlehem Area School Board. -
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.
-
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.
-
Mattel has marketed a Barbie doll that represents those with Down syndrome.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Upon arriving at Coca-Cola Park on Monday evening, Southern Lehigh and Salisbury were surprised to learn they'd be playing their regularly scheduled game there as part of the IronPigs' annual Little League Takeover event.
-
Newcomers looking to unseat three incumbents in primary election for Bethlehem Area school board.
-
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission clarified that the proposed South Side Bethlehem Cultural Arts Center isn't expected to meet LEED green certification in construction.
-
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission comprehensive planning committee on Tuesday directed the project developers of the proposed cultural arts center to incorporate environmentally friendly materials in its construction.
-
In appreciation for the early intervention services he received at Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, Nazareth Area High School junior Brody Muthard, 16, has chosen to build a playground there for autistic children for his Boy Scout Eagle Scout project.
-
Attendees at the Great Allentown Fair were entertained by two trampoline artists who performed high-flying acrobatics outside the Agri-Plex complex on Thursday.
-
The oppressive heat did not deter folks from making their way to the 172nd Great Allentown Fair at the Allentown Fairgrounds on Wednesday. Great food and drinks, amusement park rides and a variety of events will take place at the fair through Monday, Sept. 2.
-
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.
-
A bike repair station donated by the Whitehall Area Rotary Club was dedicated at the Ironton Rail Trail pavilion on Monday.
-
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.
-
A self-storage project was advanced, and two others projects were tabled by the Whitehall Township Planning Commission.
-
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.
-
A renewable natural gas plant adjacent to the Bethlehem Landfill opened on Tuesday morning.
-
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts conducted a brainstorming seminar in Allentown on Monday to advance a statewide arts and culture plan.
-
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.
-
Two elementary schools and one middle school in the Bethlehem Area School District distributed free backpacks to incoming students on Friday.
