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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Bethlehem received $3.7 million in grants to fund improvements to the South Bethlehem Greenway Trail Extension and other projects. -
Are developers proposing to build a warehouse, fulfillment center, industrial manufacturing facility or something else in Northampton Borough? Members of the LVPC's Comprehensive Planning Committee want to know.
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Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is opposed to a request by Waste Management to amend the Plainfield Township zoning ordinance regarding the sanitary landfill in the township.
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Jorge Suarez-Santiago, 33, was sentenced to 5-to-15 years in prison in the drug-induced death of his 22-month-old son.
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Lehigh Little League 9-10-year-olds open state tournament play at 4 p.m. Monday against Section 1 champion DuBois in Drums, Luzerne County.
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Sammy Sasso, a former Nazareth Area High School state wrestling champion, is charged with possessing unlicensed guns and a controlled substance after police said they stopped the car he was driving because of an expired registration.
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A former Easton Area High School resource officer who pleaded guilty to sending a sexually explicit image of himself to a 16-year-old female student in 2024 was sentenced to 9-to-24 months in Northampton County Prison, it was announced on Wednesday.
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A zoning extension request by the developer of a proposed 689,000-square-foot warehouse at the former Coplay quarry was unanimously granted by the Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board on Tuesday night.
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A developer's request to split an expansion project at a retirement home complex was approved by Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners on Monday night.
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The Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit scheduled for the Lehigh Valley next week has been postponed due to mechanical issues until later this summer. The military themed, rolling interactive museum is designed to educate the public about service and sacrifice of veterans.
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The Whitehall-Coplay School Board is considering a request to start a varsity girls wrestling program.
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A property tax hike as high as 5.3% may be assessed to help close a nearly $7 million spending gap in the proposed 2025-26 Whitehall-Coplay School District budget.
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The temporary closure of Water Street in Whitehall Township to address traffic calming measures is close but undetermined, Mayor Joseph J. Marx Jr. said.
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Giant Markets Feeding School Kids Program made a donation of $8,623.86 to the Allentown School District's Child Nutrition Department on Friday.
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Easterseals Eastern Pennsylvania celebrated its 100th anniversary at a luncheon at Lehigh Country Club on Wednesday afternoon.
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The Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners heard results of a recreation center feasibility study from engineering and architectural firms. The proposed $13 million project would be at Jefferson Street Park.
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The high school students competing at the FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Robotics Championships at Lehigh University this weekend are not merely building robots. They're building character.
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Mack Trucks will display a 100-year-old Mack AB model tractor manufactured in Allentown at the 125th New York International Auto Show April 18-27.
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The newly opened YMCA River Crossing child care center in Whitehall is the ninth such center opened by the YMCA in the Lehigh Valley.
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Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health, introduced two weapon-detecting K-9s on Monday at its Cedar Crest campus. The 18-month-old male Labrador retriever and female Springer Spaniel will visit all LVHN properties in an effort to increase safety.
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On Wednesday in Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity continued her cross-state tour of informing residents about Money Match, a program that returns unclaimed money and property that belongs to them.
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The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday approved its staff review of the proposed Executive Education Academy Charter School multi-sport stadium project. It now goes to the Allentown Planning Commission.
