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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After closing its doors in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, New Bethany South Side Drop-in reopened on Monday. -
Lisa Dente, 41, a teacher at Five Points Elementary School in Upper Mount Bethel Township, will run the Boston Marathon for the first time since the bombing in 2013 to raise money for PTSD victims.
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Lehigh County Board of Commissioners propose new legislation that would provide property tax relief for volunteer firefighters.
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As the Jewish people celebrate the start of Passover on Wednesday night, the observance is a reminder that the oppression of Jews and others continues today.
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The Lehigh Valley Brewers Guild met at Lost Tavern Brewery on Tuesday to begin preparations for Lehigh Valley Beer Week on April 29-May 6.
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Walmart will layoff 597 workers at its South Bethlehem distribution center at 3215 Commerce Center Blvd. The cuts were anticipated for a few months. The official number of employees to lose their jobs was confirmed Monday from a Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry WARN notice.
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Hawk Music co-owners Phil Hawk and his sister, Pat Hawk Paulus, recalled the relationships made with customers at the store their late father founded 50 years ago.
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DeSales University recognized, honored, and thanked Vietnam War veterans and their families during a special ceremony on Wednesday morning. The event was in conjunction with the observance every March 29 of National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
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Bethlehem Township Planning Commission reviewed on Monday night a preliminary plan for a proposed 34-room hotel, restaurant, spa, and banquet complex at William Penn Highway and Bethman Road.
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U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) held a news conference at Cedarbrook Senior Care & Rehabilitation on Friday to officially announce $525,000 in federal funding he secured for the nursing home's $67 million expansion project.
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A 76-apartment and retail development project on the site of the former SouthSide Boys & Girls Club on Fourth Street in Bethlehem is expected to be completed during the first half of 2025.
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Ronald Diehl Jr., of Quakertown, is among 18 individuals nationally who will receive a Carnegie Medal for acts of heroism. In 2022, Diehl pulled a pilot from a crashed and burning plane in Salisbury Township.
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There are those Christmases that remain clear and crisp as a cold Nebraska night. For an 11-year-old boy, this one in the late 1960s is near the top of the Christmas list.
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Palmer Township's Aiden Hess, 20, is in need of a donor kidney. A rare condition necessitates his use of a dialysis machine for nine hours every day.
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The fourth and final phase of the $58.7 million Parkland High School expansion project was approved by the South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners on Wednesday night.
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A proposal to construct a more-than-270,00-square-foot warehouse in Williams Township will advance to a review by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday night.
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Emmaus residents packed council chambers on Monday to complain about a 26% tax increase for 2025. Council voted 6-1 to approve the increase.
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Plans by Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley to construct a 1,200-square-foot addition to its existing administrative offices at 4501 Crackersport Road were approved by the South Whitehall Township Planning Commission on Thursday night.
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At Manufacturers Resource Center on Wednesday, area manufacturing volunteers assembled 40 youth bicycles to be distributed to children through the Community Bike Works program.
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The Lehigh Valley’s Gross Domestic Product grew to a record $55.7 billion in 2023, according to government data released this month.
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The site would accommodate 30 tractor-trailer loading docks, 148 employee parking lot spaces and 44 tractor-trailer parking spaces.
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Residents expressed anger toward the township board of commissioners for an 86% increase in annual garbage collection fees in Whitehall Township.
