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.
-
'I'm here to say I told you so': Whitehall traffic death, inaction, brings sorrow, frenzy at meetingAngry and frustrated family and friends of the late Edward Tomcics packed the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, imploring them to address the speeding epidemic on Water Street. Tomcics, 75, was struck and killed outside his home on Dec. 25. An investigation into the incident is underway. -
Ten Lehigh Valley children with disabilities were presented with adaptive bikes or strollers at Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21. Each individually customized adaptive bike costs $3,500 to $4,000 and is not covered by insurance.
-
Less than a year after its celebratory opening, the Wawa drive-thru-only convenience store at 6216 Hamilton Blvd., Lower Macungie Township, closed on Jan. 5. No reason for the closure has been given.
-
Citing safety concerns, Lehigh Valley Mall management has notified LANTA that bus service may not be permitted on the mall grounds as of June.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Emmaus residents packed council chambers on Monday to complain about a 26% tax increase for 2025. Council voted 6-1 to approve the increase.
-
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.
-
At Manufacturers Resource Center on Wednesday, area manufacturing volunteers assembled 40 youth bicycles to be distributed to children through the Community Bike Works program.
-
The Lehigh Valley’s Gross Domestic Product grew to a record $55.7 billion in 2023, according to government data released this month.
-
The site would accommodate 30 tractor-trailer loading docks, 148 employee parking lot spaces and 44 tractor-trailer parking spaces.
-
Residents expressed anger toward the township board of commissioners for an 86% increase in annual garbage collection fees in Whitehall Township.
-
Let's Go Coffee Co. in Emmaus held its grand opening Friday. The business offers a wide selection of coffees and gluten-free baked goods.
-
Co-sponsored by the Whitehall-Coplay School District and the Zephyr Pride Foundation, the “Shop with a Cop” program teamed 23 children from less fortunate backgrounds with 26 members of law enforcement as they shopped for clothing or toys for family members.
-
In celebration of its 90th anniversary, the Allentown Art Museum this week installed on its windows on 5th Street vinyl representations of popular works from its collections.
-
Emmaus residents could see an increase in their property taxes in 2025. Emmaus Borough Council is set to discuss the proposal at its next meeting on Monday, Dec. 16.
-
A large part of the $2.6 million increase in Whitehall Township's proposed $33.7 million budget is because of the escalating cost of garbage collection.
-
One family's show of caring for another down on their luck from many years ago embodies the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
