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.
-
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. -
Jorge Suarez-Santiago, 33, was sentenced to 5-to-15 years in prison in the drug-induced death of his 22-month-old son.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has issued an alert regarding an intermittent 911 outage throughout the Commonwealth.
-
Mayor Matt Tuerk called on the county's president judge to “issue a public and unambiguous policy” banning ICE agents from county courthouses, a move he said would “be a major step in restoring trust in government and faith in its fairness.”
-
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.
-
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.
