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.
-
After nearly 40 years serving the Lower Milford Township community, the volunteer fire company is auctioning off its small but trusted fire truck. -
Plans for the River Pointe Logistics Industrial Park Development Project in Upper Mount Bethel Township are inconsistent with those of FutureLV, according to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
-
Citing the financial concerns of taxpayers, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission member Richard D. Molchany suggests slowing down the Lehigh Valley Passenger Rail project.
-
The proposed River Point industrial park project for Upper Mount Bethel Township has residents questioning unanswered questions by Bethlehem developer Lou Pektor.
-
Eighty volunteers helped lay 30,000 square feet of sod at the home of retired Marine Corps veteran Daniel Lasko, who lost his left leg in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2004.
-
An appreciative community packed Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown to bid farewell to Bishop Edward P. Cullen, 90, who died May 9. Cullen was the third Bishop of Allentown, having served from 1998 until his retirement in 2009 at age 76.
-
The first stage of the Lehigh Valley Passenger Rail Analysis project will be completed by October, it was revealed on Wednesday during a Lehigh Valley Transportation Study committee virtual public meeting.
-
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.
-
Sen. Nick Miller, D-14th District, was a member of a panel discussion about the home health care crisis. Advocates are urging lawmakers to increase reimbursement fees to home care agencies.
-
Lehigh Valley native Danielle Meyers, 22, is among 190 million women worldwide with endometriosis, a chronic, incurable tissue abnormality that causes a host of painful internal problems.
-
Enci “Aubrey” Wu was last seen on Jan. 11 in the vicinity of MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township, where she was seeking transportation and/or funds from strangers in order to leave Lehigh County, according to the release.
-
The project, named Emerson Village, calls for the construction of 57 townhomes and 59 single-unit homes on 35 acres at 3626 Rural Road.
-
A panel discussion of female achievers from the Lehigh Valley was held in observance of International Women's Day at Renaissance Allentown Hotel.
-
New South Whitehall Township Chief of Police Frank J.C. Lombardo, a former captain with the South Brunswick, New Jersey, Township Police Department, possesses decades of experience in law enforcement.
-
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.
