Pennsylvania
Bill in Pennsylvania shines light on link between domestic violence and animal abuse
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A bill to extend protection from abuse orders to pets passed the state Senate and is bringing new awareness to the dangerous link between domestic violence and animal abuse and the services available in the Pittsburgh area.
KDKA-TV’s Jessica Guay stopped at a local center that has advocates with four paws who are ready to help.
Ari is more than just a cute dog. He works a 9-to-5 job. Ari’s mom, Grace Coleman, is also his boss at Crisis Center North.
“He is a wonderful dog. He is so obedient. Ari’s very gentle with the children,” Coleman said.
Crisis Center North’s nationally recognized Paws for Empowerment program turns rescue dogs into canine advocates. It started in 2011 thanks to Coleman’s dog Penny, who helped a little boy feel brave enough to go into counseling at the center.
The center’s smart dogs use their talents in schools, therapy and the courtroom. Ari enjoys providing comfort to victims.
“Ari goes to magisterial court to assist victims in that courtroom setting. Victims could be sitting across the table from a perpetrator and the distance is very close, and so we felt like a dog could provide the most comfort in those venues,” Coleman said.
Ari was invited to Harrisburg this week to teach lawmakers the importance of keeping domestic abuse survivors and their pets together and help move a bill forward.
House Bill 1210 will allow companion animals to be included in protection from abuse orders by giving victims temporary ownership rights. The bill passed in the state Senate on Wednesday and still needs the governor’s signature.
“I cannot tell you how many times our advocates have picked up the phone and heard stories about victims who have had their dog’s legs broken as a means of control. … I could tell you horrible story after horrible story of some of the things victims heard. And this bill is going to provide tools for advocates that make pets something more than property,” Coleman said.
Crisis Center North also helps victims relocate, find housing, pay for expenses, and thrive — with their pet, whether it’s a dog, cat, snake, gerbil or even a horse.
“During a three-year period, we have helped over 350 humans, we have helped over 500 animals, we have provided over 415 nights of emergency shelter to animals in abusive situations,” said Coleman.
“Some of the survivors we worked with are leaving only with their dog. And then when they arrive in a new location, the dog may have injuries, may not have had the vet care it needs,” she added.
Coleman said the center also educates and trains veterinarians and animal care providers so they can recognize and respond to domestic violence when animals may have been abused.
“They’ve trained over 1,500 individuals on the intersectionality of human and animal abuse, and that personally delights me because my father was a veterinarian and I know from growing up in a vet clinic how important that is and how many people would come and talk to him about everything,” she said.
Coleman calls the bill historic and transforming because it’s going to give advocates another tool to protect human survivors and their furry family members.
“Some of these animals are by the side of their owners who may be experiencing abuse, watching them experience that. They may be experiencing that themself, and in some cases, dogs have been known to protect the person. So, the separation is not conscionable for people who have relied on that pet to get through that particular situation,” Coleman said.
For anyone experiencing domestic violence, contact Crisis Center North’s 24/7 confidential crisis hotline at 412-364-5556 or via the text chat line at 1-877-522-6093 or online chat.
Don’t hesitate to call the center for emotional support, to make an appointment or to learn more about their free services.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania man charged after son brought loaded gun to school, DA says
A Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, man was charged after his son went to school with his loaded gun, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said Monday.
The DA’s office said Russell Matthews, 58, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering the welfare of a child.
East Pikeland Township Police responded to Hares Hill Elementary School on Monday at around 12:15 p.m. for the report of a student who brought a handgun to school.
At school, the student noticed the handgun inside their backpack and told a school counselor, according to the DA’s office. The student told officials that he recognized it and that it belonged to his father. The semiautomatic handgun was loaded with five rounds of ammunition, the DA’s office said.
Matthews told police that he put the gun in the wrong backpack, the DA’s office said.
Nobody was injured during the incident.
“We are grateful to the school officials and the East Pikeland Township Police Department who worked quickly to ensure that [Hares] Hill Elementary School is safe again,” Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said in a statement.
Pennsylvania
Cynthia Ann Gargasz, Sharon, PA
SHARON, Pa. (MyValleyTributes) – Cynthia Ann Gargasz, age 75, passed away peacefully, on Friday, April 10, 2026, surrounded by her family.
Cynthia was born on October 5, 1950, in Sharon, Pennsylvania, to Mary and Carl Spruk.
Cindy grew up in Farrell, Pennsylvania, where she attended Farrell High School and graduated from class of 1969. She went on to dedicate 30 years of hard work at Packard Electric before retiring.
Cindy found joy in simple comforts at home and maintaining her home and family. Throughout her life, she cared deeply for her animal friends and would always feed and nurture any additional critters that would cross her path. She loved sitting with a cup of coffee, watching the birds and welcoming visits from friends and family. She cherished gathering around the kitchen table for meals and conversation and was always adding simple touches to her space to make it feel more like home. She enjoyed hosting holidays, where everyone felt welcome. Cindy had an eye for style, enjoyed meeting up with friends and dancing the night away to good music. Most recently during her illness, she very much enjoyed trips to the corral drive-in, for vanilla ice cream and burger visits with family.
Cindy is preceded in death by her parents Mary and Carl Spruk; her sister, Carol Crisan; and her brother, Edward Spruk.
She is survived by her children, Frank (Reagan) Gargasz and Ashley Gargasz; her grandson, Jordan DeCarmen; her brother, Mark Spruk (Gretchen); and her nieces and great-nieces.
Per her wish, family and close friends may call on Tuesday April 14, 2026, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., in the Stephen J. Sherman Funeral Home
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., in the funeral home, with Father James Power, officiating.
Burial will take place in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery Hermitage, PA.
Arrangements entrusted to the SHERMAN Funeral Home & Crematory.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Cynthia Ann (Spruk) Gargasz, please visit our floral store.
A television tribute will air Tuesday, April 14, at the following approximate times: 6:47 a.m. on WYTV, 9:43 a.m. on WKBN, 10:58 a.m. on FOX and 8:12 p.m. on MyYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing.
Pennsylvania
Temperatures soar to the 80s this week; few shower chances
Temperatures soar to the 80s this week across south-central Pennsylvania
Winds shifting to the southwest will pump in summerlike warmth this up coming week. Temperatures will challenge record highs and a few morning warmest low records.
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS ON OUR WEBSITE AT WGAL.COM. AND RYAN, IF YOU’RE HEADING OUT TO LANCASTER RESTAURANT WEEK, IT SEEMS LIKE IT’S A GOOD DAY TO WALK TO THE RESTAURANT, SIT OUTSIDE, RIGHT? YEAH, TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE GETTING INTO THE 70S AND INTO THE 80S, TOO. AS WE GET INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. WE COULD BE SEEING SOME NEAR RECORD WARMTH BY THE TIME WE GET TO OUR WEDNESDAY. BUT LEBANON SKY CAM AT THIS TIME HAD A FAIRLY NICE DAY. NOW WE’RE STARTING TO SEE SOME HIGH CLOUDS BEGIN TO MOVE IN, AND TEMPERATURES ARE SITTING RIGHT AROUND THE MID 60S AT THIS TIME, WITH A STIFF SOUTHERLY BREEZE. I WOULD SAY BETWEEN 10 AND 15MPH FOR MOST OF THE AREA. BUT WE’RE SEEING GENERALLY MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES ACROSS THE AREA, AND IT’S STILL GOING TO BE REMAINING MILD WITH BREEZY CONDITIONS AT TIMES. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO LOWER THROUGH THE 60S. AND THEN FOR THIS COMING WEEK, NEXT WEEK, SOARING TO THE 80S NEAR RECORD WARMTH. BY THE TIME WE GET TO OUR WEDNESDAY AND THEN THERE’S ONLY A FEW RAIN CHANCES OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, IT’S GOING TO BE A MAINLY DRY STRETCH FOR THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, SO BUT WE’LL BE WILL BE ENJOYING SOME SUNSHINE WITH A FEW. AGAIN, A FEW CHANCES OF SOME SHOWERS, BUT THEY’RE LOOKING MORE MINIMAL RIGHT NOW. TEMPERATURES TODAY HIT RIGHT AROUND 66 DEGREES AT HARRISBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 63 IS WHAT WE EXPECT FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. NO RAIN WAS RECORDED AT HARRISBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. SO FOR THE FORECAST FOR THE REST OF THIS EVENING, EXPECT INCREASING CLOUDS STILL MILD IN THE LOWER 60S AND BREEZY. WE’LL HAVE THOSE WINDS OUT OF THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST BETWEEN 10 AND 15MPH, THEN STILL BREEZY OVERNIGHT. COOLER DOWN INTO THE LOWER 50S, BUT WE’LL SEE MOSTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS FOR THE FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. AND THEN WE’RE LOOKING AT A FEW AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS FOR TOMORROW. TEMPERATURES GETTING INTO THE UPPER 70S. BUT RESTAURANT WEEK, IT’S GOING TO BE IT’S GOING TO BE NICE THOUGH. TEMPERATURES INTO THE UPPER 70S A FEW AFTERNOON SHOWERS. I WOULDN’T CALL THE DAY A COMPLETE WASHOUT. FEELING LIKE JUNE FOR YOUR. TUESDAY 84 DEGREES AND THEN 86 NEAR RECORD WARMTH FOR OUR WEDNESDAY NOW. LATEST PRECIPITATION TOTALS WERE STILL BELOW AVERAGE FOR THE MONTH TO DATE, BUT IN TERMS OF SEASON TO DATE, WE’RE. WE’RE RIGHT AROUND PAR FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. SO ONLY ABOUT 17 HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH ABOVE WHAT WE EXPECT. BUT THAT’S RIGHT AROUND PAR. BUT POLLEN LEVELS FOR TOMORROW, HIGH FOR TREES AND GRASS MOLD LEVELS ARE LOW. AIR QUALITY WILL BE MODERATE IN A UV INDEX, 35 MINUTE BURN TIME. SO WE RATED THAT AS MODERATE FOR THE AFTERNOON AND THE TEMPERATURES STILL INTO THE 60S, BUT WE’RE INTO THE 70S FOR GETTYSBURG, CHAMBERSBURG AND LEWISTOWN AT THIS TIME WINDS OUT OF THE SOUTH. I’D SAY BETWEEN TO SEE THIS BETWEEN 15, ALMOST 20MPH IN SOME AREAS. STORM TEAM, LIVE RADAR NETWORK, NOT SEEING ANY SHOWERS, JUST REALLY THE SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWING SOME OF THE UPPER LEVEL CLOUDS THAT ARE MOVING THROUGH. BUT WE STILL HAVE HIGH PRESSURE THAT’S HELPING TO KEEP OUR SKIES CLEAR BEFORE THIS WARM FRONT STARTS TO MOVE THROUGH AND CONTINUES TO INCREASE OUR CLOUD COVER AND BECOME MOSTLY CLOUDY FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE DAY MONDAY. BUT NOW HERE COMES THIS BOUNDARY THAT’S GOING TO START TO SHIFT THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON FOR MONDAY. THAT’S GOING TO BRING THAT CHANCE OF SHOWERS INTO THE AREA. GIVE US A FEW OF THOSE SHOWERS. THEN WE’LL START TO CLEAR. BY THE TIME WE GET TO OVERNIGHT MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. NOW WE ARE WATCHING A CHANCE OF SOME SHOWERS FOR EARLY IN THE DAY. TUESDAY I WOULD SAY MID TO LATE MORNING, A STRAY SHOWER CHANCE AND ALSO WITH A SERIES OF FRONTS NEARBY AND ALSO WITH THAT AVAILABLE HEAT, WE MAY SEE A CHANCE OF A STORM OR TWO FOR LATE TUESDAY, SOMETHING WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO KEEP AN EYE ON FOR TUESDAY. BUT CERTAINLY THE STORY FOR THE WEEK IS THAT IT’S GOING TO BE FEELING LIKE JUNE, FEELING VERY MUCH LIKE SUMMER. YOU CAN SEE TEMPERATURES GETTING INTO THE MID 80S. WE COULD POTENTIALLY BE RIGHT NEAR THAT RECORD MARK. THE RECORD IS 87 DEGREES. BACK IN 1941 FOR WEDNESDAY, SOMETHING THAT WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WATCH AS WE HEAD INTO THE WEEK. LOOKING AHEAD INTO THE END OF THE WEEK, NOT AS WARM, STI
Temperatures soar to the 80s this week across south-central Pennsylvania
Winds shifting to the southwest will pump in summerlike warmth this up coming week. Temperatures will challenge record highs and a few morning warmest low records.
Updated: 6:38 PM EDT Apr 12, 2026
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After a sunny & mild day, cloud cover is beginning to increase across the area and temperatures will start to lower through the low 60s this evening. Tonight, expect mostly cloudy skies as a warm front moves through the area overnight. Lows will bottom out in the lower 50s. It will remain breezy through the night.Monday highs jump into the mid to upper 70s. Southwesterly winds bring in more cloud cover, and a few afternoon showers can’t be ruled out, so it’s worth keeping an eye to the sky if you’re outside. Rainfall amounts expected around 0.10” northwest of Harrisburg, with less than 0.05” elsewhere.We flip the switch to early summer with highs soaring into the mid 80s Tuesday through Thursday. We will challenge records on Wednesday. Forecast is 86 and the record is 87 set in 1941. Morning lows will be warmer than afternoon average highs Thursday. You’ll notice an uptick in humidity with dew points near 60°. Not oppressive by any means, but enough to make it feel a bit sticky, especially in the afternoons. Other than a late shower or thunderstorm Tuesday and a couple late showers Thursday night, rain chances remain low so great weather for outdoor plans.Temperatures briefly fall back to near 80° on Friday. It’s still warm and pleasant. That tranquil weather continues into the start of the weekend with summerlike weather continuing. Highs are in the low 80s. The next cold front comes in on Sunday with the chance for showers. This system is a game changer and will bring temperatures back to the 60s by Monday.Have a good rest of your Sunday!~ Ryan
After a sunny & mild day, cloud cover is beginning to increase across the area and temperatures will start to lower through the low 60s this evening.
Tonight, expect mostly cloudy skies as a warm front moves through the area overnight. Lows will bottom out in the lower 50s. It will remain breezy through the night.
Monday highs jump into the mid to upper 70s. Southwesterly winds bring in more cloud cover, and a few afternoon showers can’t be ruled out, so it’s worth keeping an eye to the sky if you’re outside. Rainfall amounts expected around 0.10” northwest of Harrisburg, with less than 0.05” elsewhere.
We flip the switch to early summer with highs soaring into the mid 80s Tuesday through Thursday. We will challenge records on Wednesday. Forecast is 86 and the record is 87 set in 1941. Morning lows will be warmer than afternoon average highs Thursday. You’ll notice an uptick in humidity with dew points near 60°. Not oppressive by any means, but enough to make it feel a bit sticky, especially in the afternoons. Other than a late shower or thunderstorm Tuesday and a couple late showers Thursday night, rain chances remain low so great weather for outdoor plans.
Temperatures briefly fall back to near 80° on Friday. It’s still warm and pleasant. That tranquil weather continues into the start of the weekend with summerlike weather continuing. Highs are in the low 80s. The next cold front comes in on Sunday with the chance for showers. This system is a game changer and will bring temperatures back to the 60s by Monday.
Have a good rest of your Sunday!
~ Ryan
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