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Pennsylvania Judge Denies Centre County GOP Request To Disqualify Undated or Misdated Mail-In Ballots

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Pennsylvania Judge Denies Centre County GOP Request To Disqualify Undated or Misdated Mail-In Ballots


WASHINGTON D.C. — A Pennsylvania judge today rejected a request from Centre County GOP Chair Michelle Schellberg and local voters to disqualify nearly 100 mail-in ballots cast in the state’s April 23 primary election with misdated or undated outer envelopes. 

The ruling comes as part of a lawsuit filed earlier this month in which Schellberg and individual voters alleged that the Centre County Board of Elections wrongly decided to include 95 ballots in the county’s vote tally with dates that were imprecise or missing altogether. The lawsuit additionally sought to prevent the board from counting undated or misdated mail-in ballots in all future elections.

In today’s order, Judge Julia R. Rater dismissed the county GOP’s legal action on the grounds that Schellberg and the voters filed their petition too late after the board’s April 25 decision to count the 95 undated or misdated ballots. Without reaching the merits of the case, Rater concluded that under state law, the petitioners would have needed to file their appeal of the board’s decision by April 27 or May 2 at the very latest. 

“The Appeal was not filed until May 7, 2024. As such, it is untimely,” Rater’s order reads. 

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 Although the 95 contested ballots did not stand to materially affect Centre County’s primary election outcomes, they nonetheless resulted in the county postponing certification of its results as the litigation played out. Following today’s ruling, Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt (D) is expected to certify the statewide primary election results — a process that was held up due to Centre County’s certification delay.  

According to the now-dismissed GOP lawsuit, a 2022 decision from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and 2023 decision from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals preclude Pennsylvania counties from counting mail-in ballots with outer return envelopes that are undated or incorrectly dated. 

On the other hand, the Centre County Board of Elections argued that the “Pennsylvania Supreme Court left untouched the county boards of elections’ authority to determine whether a ballot’s outer envelope is correctly dated.” 

The board also maintained that Schellberg and her co-petitioners brought their legal action too late after its members decided to count the ballots, thereby foreclosing the challenge under state law. In addition to agreeing with this argument in today’s order, Rater maintained that “even if Petitioners’ Appeal could be construed as a petition for an election contest”— as opposed to an appeal of the board’s decision — “it would be fatally deficient leaving the Court without jurisdiction to decide the matter.”

Rater further acknowledged the urgency of finalizing the state’s certification of its primary election results, reasoning that she must dismiss the appeal so as to “avoid any confusion or potential further delays.” In an amicus brief in support of the Centre County Board of Elections, Schmidt and the Pennsylvania Department of State previously urged the court to dismiss the petition in order to allow the secretary to “perform his duty and finally certify the 2024 primary.” 

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Centre County was not the only Pennsylvania County beset by legal challenges over mail-in ballots in the wake of the state’s April 23 primary. Litigation is ongoing in a case out of Butler County, where the board of elections refused to allow voters to cure mail-in ballots that were missing inner secrecy envelopes. 

Read the order here.

Learn more about the case here.



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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania man charged after son brought loaded gun to school, DA says

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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.

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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.

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Cynthia Ann Gargasz, Sharon, PA

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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. 

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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.

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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.



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Temperatures soar to the 80s this week; few shower chances

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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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