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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Six years ago today, local noted musician Sal Ritz Jr. passed away shortly after performing at Musikfest. His widow, Laurie Ritz Dragotta, says a return to Musikfest is still too emotional for her. -
Opening ceremonies for the 40th Musikfest were held on Friday evening. The nation's largest open-gate music festival will continue through Aug. 13 in south Bethlehem.
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Musikfest, a 10-day festival of music, food, refreshments and more, celebrates its 40th year beginning on Thursday.
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A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday morning for a seven-level, 731-space, state-of-the-art parking garage on Polk Street in South Bethlehem. It will greatly benefit those attending Musikfest, the 10-day, annual music festival that begins with a preview night Thursday.
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The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday night voted against a proposed zoning ordinance amendment by Lower Saucon Township Council regarding the controversial landfill expansion.
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The proposed 866,000-square-foot warehouse project in Bethlehem Township and Freemansburg is inconsistent with FutureLV, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission determined on Thursday night.
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Upper Macungie Township has filed an application with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission for a zoning ordinance amendment for minimum lot requirements for distillery, microbrewery and winery use.
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St. Luke's Hospital's Anderson campus proposed expansion is a five-story, 308,000-square-foot project that would add 146 beds and a more than 32,000-square-foot Sterile Processing Infill Development at 1872 Riverside Circle
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The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's Comprehensive Planning Committee on Tuesday reviewed plans for proposed warehouses — in Bethlehem Township and Freemansburg Borough and another in Allen Township.
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Nearly 70 years after the late Ernest Kotsch Sr. purchased a grocery store at Third and Union streets in Whitehall Township, Kotsch's Market on MacArthur Road is closing its doors. An auction to sell the contents was held on Monday.
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Township commissioners on Monday approved a resolution requesting a grant of $154,402.17 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program for the Ironton Rail Trail Paving and Gates Project.
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A Whitehall Township commissioner hopes to persuade Coplay Borough Council on Tuesday night to dedicate a street in honor of hometown football star Saquon Barkley.
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The former Whitehall Township Police Department station has been vacant for three years and costing the township money as it seeks a buyer.
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On July 1, the YMCA of Bucks and Hunterdon counties will merge with the Greater Valley YMCA in Pen Argyl to form the River Crossing YMCA.
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Downed trees and power outages were the result of a powerful storm that pounded the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night.
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B Social, a state-of-the-art, multi-entertainment center and event venue, will hold its grand opening on July 15 at Saucon Square shopping center on Route 378 in Lower Saucon Township.
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The Lehigh Valley ranks as the eighth-highest industrial market in the U.S., it was disclosed at a Lehigh Valley Planning Commission roundtable meeting on Friday.
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US Rep. Susan Wild, D-7th District, and USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small visited the Greater Valley YMCA in Pen Argyl on Thursday for the kickoff of its Summer Nutrition Program.
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The City of Allentown held a Juneteenth Block Party celebration at Center Square on Tuesday, commemorating the last bastion of slavery in the U.S. in 1865.
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A continuance was granted for the sixth time this year to Paxos Group real estate company for a hearing before the Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board on charges it has violated a zoning ordinance prohibiting the renting or leasing of condominiums as apartments on Arey Lane.
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The Lehigh County funded Mid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Services, or MARS, opened a new substance abuse-related treatment center in Allentown on Friday.The FORT program (Families Obtaining Recovery Together) will join the slate of treatment options offered, making this groundbreaking program available to more Lehigh County residents free of charge.
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On Sunday morning, the Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ in Allentown will hold its reopening worship service for the first time since it closed in 2022.
