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New CHOP partnership to expand autism care in Greater Philadelphia

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New CHOP partnership to expand autism care in Greater Philadelphia


Expanding access to play-based therapy and intervention

Specialists at these centers use the Early Start Denver Model, which combines applied behavior analysis therapy, or ABA, and child development strategies in a play-based format to help kids with social interaction, communication, motor skills and coping mechanisms.

“Basically, we engage with the child in a fun, play-based routine the same way that a mom or a dad or a caregiver would play with their child,” said Dr. Ian Goldstein, co-founder and CEO at Soar. “And then we teach the child skills like speech, language — whatever the skill may be — using ABA-based principles.”

A young child with autism may get, on average, between 15 and 30 hours of therapy per week for one or two years before graduating from the center and moving on to the school system, where they can ideally access other long-term support, Goldstein said.

“This is meant to be an acceleration program to help children build skills at that time of life when their brain has its greatest neuroplasticity and capacity for change,” he said.

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The CHOP-Soar Autism Center in Newtown, Pa., which opened in January, is part of a new partnership between the health system and multistate autism care organization. Another four sites are scheduled to open in 2026. (Nicole Leonard/WHYY)

The CHOP-Soar centers will also coordinate children’s care with other specialists in the area who can treat them for additional medical and psychological needs. This can be especially helpful for families who struggle to navigate these complexities on their own, Goldstein said.

“Getting the services in the first place is a hurdle, then trying to coordinate them for one child is very, very hard to do,” he said. “So, having this partnership should allow us to really be able to collaborate for those kids who have higher-needs cases of autism.”



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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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