
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.
-
A special Mass to celebrate the life of Pope Francis was held at Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown on Monday. Francis died on Monday at 88 after 12 years leading the Catholic Church.
-
Nearly six years after it opened, the Downtown Allentown Market has closed due to lack of customers.
-
Commissioners voted to award a contract to Construction Masters Services LLC, of Berks County, whose $534,859 bid was the lowest of three firms that submitted proposals.
-
South Whitehall Township Commissioners advanced a transportation plan Wednesday identifying six priority areas. They represent specific locations where commissioners said crash history and roadway conditions warrant immediate action.
-
In 1989, Yusef Salaam and four other teenagers were imprisoned after being wrongly accused and convicted of raping a woman in Central Park in New York. At Northampton Community College on Tuesday night, he shared his story and the need to address inequities in the criminal justice system.
-
The Whitehall-Coplay School Board is considering a request to start a varsity girls wrestling program.
-
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.
-
The temporary closure of Water Street in Whitehall Township to address traffic calming measures is close but undetermined, Mayor Joseph J. Marx Jr. said.
-
Giant Markets Feeding School Kids Program made a donation of $8,623.86 to the Allentown School District's Child Nutrition Department on Friday.
-
Easterseals Eastern Pennsylvania celebrated its 100th anniversary at a luncheon at Lehigh Country Club on Wednesday afternoon.
-
An application by the Lehigh Valley STEAM Academy Charter School to open in the Whitehall-Coplay School District was unanimously rejected by the school board Monday night.
-
Catasauqua Police Chief Douglas Kish retired Friday, a month after a state report identified a litany of issues with his department.
-
Emergency crews were called to Sharp Packaging Solutions, a pharmaceutical packaging company in Upper Macungie, after some employees became ill Friday afternoon.
-
Players league wide are complaining about Major League Baseball's new uniforms, particularly the see-through pants. The uniforms were manufactured by Fanatics' facilities in Easton.
-
Katarah A. Jordan has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown. She succeeds Deb Fries Jackson, who is retiring after 40 years of service with Girls Club of Allentown and the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown.
-
Ten farms in the Greater Lehigh Valley have joined the Lehigh Valley Food System Coalition to develop a sustainable food infrastructure for organizations in the region. The mission: Combat food insecurity throughout the Lehigh Valley. According to the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, 1 in 10 people locally are food insecure.
-
Northampton County Elections Office is seeking 10 additional county registered voters to serve as poll workers for the primary election on April 23 and general election on Nov. 5.
-
Nancy A. Walker, Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor & Industry, was in Allentown on Thursday to announce $4.2 million in Industry Partnership grants for projects statewide that will prepare state workers and high school seniors for family-sustaining jobs.
-
A change.org petition opposing the new mascot chosen by the Whitehall-Coplay School District has attracted more than 1,200 signatures. The mascot, named Big Z, is so named in honor of the school name Zephyr, which was also a train that once ran through Whitehall Township.
-
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at a Wawa DriveThru in Lower Macungie Township on Thursday morning. The drive-thru is the second such Wawa store in the nation, the other located in Lower Bucks County.
-
Marci Lesko will become the next chief executive officer of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, it was announced on Monday. Currently serving as the organization’s chief operating officer, Lesko will succeed President David Lewis, effective June 3. Lewis is retiring after 36 years with United Way.
-
With its workspace drastically reduced at the proposed Bethlehem Cultural Arts Center at the current site of the Banana Factory, the Pennsylvania Youth Theatre's search for a new venue continues