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Montgomery County announces strongest paid parental leave policy in Pennsylvania

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Montgomery County announces strongest paid parental leave policy in Pennsylvania


County Commissioner and Chairperson Jamila Winder said her own experience as the parent of a young child informed the policy. She went through a C-section when she birthed her son Max, now 3, and had a complicated physical recovery. She was working in the private sector at the time and had to figure out with her husband how to take paid time off so they could spend time with their newborn child while continuing with their careers.

“It’s an adjustment for families, whether you’re the birthing parent, or the one that will be greeting your newborn when your new child comes home,” she said. “So we wanted to give equal credit and time to both parents at the time of delivery.”

Winder said the commissioners hope the private sector takes note.

“When you think about the lifeblood of your organization, which is your employees, these are the types of things that we need to do to show commitment and support of working families,” Winder said.

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Attracting top talent to work with the county is one of the goals of the policy, Makhija said.

“I think that’s one of the reasons we’re all together on this, is it’s good policy for us as an employer to compete with the benefits that people see and other spaces and let people know that public service is an option, whereas they might have thought that they could only get these kinds of benefits in the private sector or elsewhere,” he said.

Tom DiBello is the county’s lone Republican commissioner. He supported the measure and said he hopes other local governments and the state government will replicate Montgomery County’s move.

“Hopefully, many state and local government agencies will see the policy that we put in place and follow this as we lead the charge,” he said.



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Pennsylvania

Man cited after abandoning car in frozen pond at Pennsylvania country club: Police

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Man cited after abandoning car in frozen pond at Pennsylvania country club: Police


A man has been cited after police said he drove a vehicle into a frozen pond at a country club in Pennsylvania, left the scene, then spent the night in a hotel.

According to the East Lampeter Township Police Department, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, around 10:38 a.m., officers were called to the Lancaster Country Club after receiving reports about a vehicle in a pond.

Police said that, through an investigation, it was learned that Sung Chun, a 50-year-old man from Hoboken, New Jersey, had driven onto the property the day before around 8:30 p.m., crossed portions of the golf course, and ultimately ended up in a pond.

Chun then exited the vehicle and walked away without reporting the incident and spent the night at a nearby hotel, according to police.

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Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department

Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department

Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department

Police said Chun returned to the location while police were on scene investigating the incident and was ultimately cited with “Trespass by Motor Vehicle.”



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State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards

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State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards


In rural Pennsylvania, State College houses Penn State against a backdrop of beautiful country scenery. The university hosts many events, arts performances, and lively festivals that give the town year-round excitement that blends student life with local charm. Visitors can attend a football game, explore nearby parks and trails, and savor the town’s growing culinary scene of pubs and local eateries.



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What the war with Iran could mean for gas prices in western Pennsylvania

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What the war with Iran could mean for gas prices in western Pennsylvania


The war with Iran could start impacting your wallet as soon as today.

Jim Garrity from AAA East Central says oil prices are up.

“They’re hovering around $72. They were pretty consistently around $65, $66 for a while,” he said.

Nationally, AAA said the average for a gallon of regular sits at about $3, up approximately six cents from last week.

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In Pennsylvania, it’s around $3.12 a gallon, and in the Pittsburgh region, it’s around $3.24 a gallon. That’s actually down about four cents from last week.

Garrity added that gas prices this time of year would already be increasing, usually because of higher demand for the warmer months and the production of the summer blend of gas used for those months.

The impacts of what’s happening in Iran may not be immediate, which could be part of why our region and the state overall have not seen a spike yet, he said.

“It could be a couple of days later. It could be up to a week later,” Garrity said.

A lot of people are watching what happens with the Strait of Hormuz. Iran borders it to the north, and 20% of the world’s oil goes through it.

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Iran is one of the world’s biggest oil producers, and China gets a lot of that oil.

“If there is an impact there, you could see oil start to come in from other parts of the world, which has a downstream effect on [the United States],” Garrity said.

One way you can save on gas if prices increase in our area is by slowing down.

“When you drive faster every five miles, over 50 miles an hour, your fuel efficiency is going down,” Garrity said. “You’re making the car work harder, making the gasoline consumption less effective.”

Garrity added that in 2022, when our area and many others saw some of the highest gas prices ever recorded, people changed their driving habits.

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“We saw people make seemingly permanent changes to their driving behaviors, driving less in general, consolidating trips,” he said.



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