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Pennsylvania school is helping kids

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Pennsylvania school is helping kids


I have learned once we can identify a child’s strength, we are then entrusted to grow that child into their full potential. That may mean it doesn’t always look linear or traditional, and that may be exactly what your child needs.

When weighing the options of education, it would be remiss for parents and guardians to discount cyber learning. Here in Pennsylvania, Reach Cyber Charter School is a state-accredited alternative to your child’s intellectual growth, including social and independent development. It’s a place for those who seek an adaptable, high-quality educational experience for their children in grades K-12.

CEO Jane Swan knows all too well the benefit of individualized learning, as this former teacher became an advocate for her daughter Rebecca, who was born with special needs. Standing for change within the education system, Swan eventually found herself in the world of cyberlearning — not just for Rebecca but for thousands of other students to come.

Reach proudly shares that all of their almost 600 teachers are certified when the state requires only 75% to be certified. Their school board is led by an independent board of trustees, which oversees the school’s operations. Reach includes counselors, career readiness counselors, mentors, anti-cyberbullying and community coordinators, to name a few.

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Reach stands apart with its STEM integration throughout the curriculum in ways that aren’t offered within a traditional classroom. The school provides STEM camps, kits and clubs run by teachers who specialize in this department. If you’re lucky enough, you may even catch the STEM program on wheels with their STEM trailer. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to meet and collaborate with others while working in group settings with educators.

In addition, Reach’s career readiness program sets it apart. There are numerous specialized courses students can take when they have a vision for their future and career endeavors.

Reach educators believe in fostering socialization through a variety of methods throughout the year, both educational and extracurricular. A fun fact: Reach also hosts proms!

Reach offers year-round pacing so students can go to school all year. It also offers open enrollment, so parents and guardians can make an educational switch when the time is right for their student. If they need to take things a little slower, or if they want to go accelerated and are bright and want to find and learn more things, they can do that as well. They have the option to accelerate once they enter high school.

“It’s a place where you can come and belong. Discover your gifts. It’s a place for children to be who they are. Maybe to come to a safe place for the first time in their lives. It is a place to grow and to learn. And sometimes it’s a place to just come for a short period of time. But overall, it’s a place of culture of caring. And it’s a place where we’re dedicated to inspiring and nurturing students,” said Swan.

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To learn how Reach can help your child “reach” their full potential and learn more about enrollment, visit Reach Cyber Charter School’s website.



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Pennsylvania

Trump Tells Child on Santa Hotline, ‘We Won Pennsylvania… Three Times’

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Trump Tells Child on Santa Hotline, ‘We Won Pennsylvania… Three Times’


President Donald Trump took Christmas Eve calls from children inquiring as to the whereabouts of Santa Claus, according to NORAD’s “Santa Tracker.” At one point, he fielded a call from a child in Pennsylvania, and it went as one might expect.

Trump spoke to the children on speakerphone in front of cameras and was connected with a five-year-old boy and his mother in State College.

“Pennsylvania’s great,” Trump told the boy. “We won Pennsylvania, actually, three times. We won Pennsylvania. We won it in a landslide, so I love Pennsylvania.”

The president won the state in 2016 and 2024, but lost it in 2020, when he baselessly claimed that voter fraud occurred in the state and elsewhere.

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The president told the child that, according to NORAD’s “Santa Tracker,” which somehow escaped the DOGE cuts, Old Saint Nick was in Copenhagen and heading to the U.S.

“What would you like from Santa?” Trump asked.

The child responded with what sounded like “a 3-D pen” before listing two unintelligible items, “and a robot.”

“Well, you’ll get all of it,” the president replied, leaving Mom out to dry. “Mom, I think he’s gonna get all of it, don’t you think, from Santa?”

“I think so,” the woman replied. “He was really good.”

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Trump told the boy, “When you wake up in the morning, you’re gonna be the happiest young man.”

In 2018, Trump famously took a Christmas Eve call from a seven-year-old and asked, “Are you still a believer in Santa? Because at seven it’s marginal, right?”

Watch above via C-SPAN.





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Christmas Eve fire damages multiple homes in Chester, Delaware County

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Christmas Eve fire damages multiple homes in Chester, Delaware County


CHESTER, Pa. (WPVI) — A fire that tore through four rowhomes in Chester on Christmas Eve displaced eight people and killed one cat, officials said.

The fire broke out minutes before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on the 900 block of West 7th Street, sending flames and smoke billowing into the sky.

Firefighters arriving on scene encountered heavy fire conditions and quickly called for additional help.

No injuries were reported.

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“They instantly struck a second alarm which brought the recall of off-duty personnel as well as fire departments from surrounding municipalities,” said Chester Fire Commissioner John-Paul Shirley.

Flames spread from a corner home to three neighboring rowhouses, traveling through the attic space, Shirley said.

“The fire wound up extending into three other row homes through the cockwall space in the attic, it was just a lot of fire and crews had their hands full,” he said.

Shirley said there were no reports of anyone missing and that all residents were accounted for.

Eight people were displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross.

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“It’s horrible to happen anytime but it’s especially horrible you know on the holidays, tomorrow’s Christmas, there might be Christmas presents in the houses that now families aren’t gonna be able to get but we’ll do everything we can to help them out. The most important thing though is that everyone’s OK,” Shirley said.

Neighbors watched the scene unfold as firefighters battled the blaze, which burned through the roofs of at least two homes and caused partial roof collapses, according to Shirley.

Crews remained on scene extinguishing hot spots before going inside to determine whether the buildings are structurally sound.

James Reed, who lives nearby, said he saw the fire rapidly intensify.

“I heard the fire engines coming by, I look out the window I seen that they had a line, look down here and seen smoke and I went in the house put a coat on and by the time I came out it burst into flames. I believe it was like a common roof and just everything went berserk,” Reed said.

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Reflecting on other recent tragedies, Reed said the timing made the fire especially difficult to witness.

“It’s terrible I mean, so much has happened this week… State Police getting shot down in Delaware, the thing up in Bristol, it’s always around Christmas Eve… Something always happens. Just have faith in God,” he said.

The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation.

Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Nursing assistant one of two killed in deadly Pennsylvania blast

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Nursing assistant one of two killed in deadly Pennsylvania blast



An explosion at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center outside Philadelphia killed at least two people, including nursing assistant Muthoni Nduthu.

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BUCKS COUNTY, PA ‒ A day after multiple explosions at a Pennsylvania nursing home killed two people and injured 20 others, authorities surveyed the extensive damage and began identifying the victims.

Muthoni Nduthu, 52, was named by the Bucks County Coroner’s Office as one of the two people found dead inside the Silver Lake Nursing Home, also known as the Bristol Health & Rehab Center, after a pair of explosions partially collapsed the facility on Dec. 23.

Nduthu, a nursing assistant at the facility, was a mother of three who was featured in news stories over a decade ago when she bought her home through the local branch of Habitat for Humanity. Clinton Ndegwa, one of Nduthu’s sons, declined to comment when reached by phone, reported the Bucks County Courier Times, part of the USA TODAY Network.

The deadly incident began around 2:20 p.m., when the first blast trapped dozens of residents inside the two-story building and triggered an intense search-and-rescue effort. Firefighters arrived on the scene and pulled frightened residents from windows, stairwells and elevator shafts as the building erupted into flames.

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After first responders rescued two people from the building’s collapsed basement, a second explosion rocked the facility, producing another ball of fire and spewing more smoke into the air, said Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito.

Two people, including Nduthu and a resident who has not yet been publicly identified, died from their injuries. At least 20 others were injured and over 100 residents have been displaced. The facility has more than 170 beds, though it’s not clear how many residents and staff were in the building at the time of the explosions.

Search teams ceased their operations hours after the explosion, after all residents and employees were accounted for. The next day, officials seemed to still be surveying the scope of the damage as members of various government agencies, including the National Transportation Safety Board, walked through the scene and snapped photos.

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Nursing home explosion aftermath: A view from above

Here’s a drone view of aftermath of the fatal explosion at the Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bristol on Dec. 23, 2025

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said authorities believe a gas leak led to the “catastrophic” blast. Crews for PECO, the local energy company, were responding to reports of a gas odor at the nursing home just before the first explosion was reported.

“PECO crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents,” the company said in a statement. “It is not known at this time if PECO’s equipment, or natural gas, was involved in this incident.”

An investigation into the cause of the blasts remains underway.

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Shapiro and other officials described a heroic rescue effort that saw first responders hoist residents over their shoulders and carry them away from the burning building.

“In the immediate moments after the explosion, you saw what real heroism is all about,” Shapiro said. “Firefighters rushed to this scene in order to contain the explosion, in order to put out the fire, and most importantly, in order to rescue people.”

Residents who live near the facility said they could feel the explosions from inside their homes.

Joe Westergon, who lives a few blocks from the facility, told the Bucks County Courier Times that he helped carry six injured residents to safety.

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“I was taking them over to the curb and sitting them down,” Westergon said. “I was trying to keep them as calm as possible … They’ll live, but they were pretty tore up, some were bleeding.”

Christopher Cann reports for USA TODAY. Chris Ullery and Jo Ciavaglia report for the Bucks County Courier Times.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Amanda Lee Myers and Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY; Lacey Latch, JD Mullane, Jess Rohan, and Michele Haddon, Bucks County Courier Times.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)



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