A Chester County couple tragically drowned in an ocean rip current on Thursday, while vacationing with their six kids in Florida, according to local authorities.

Brian Warter, 51, and his girlfriend Erica Wishard, 48, both of Downingtown, were with their children on Hutchinson Island along Florida’s southeast coast when the incident occurred.

According to the local Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the family was swimming when two of their teenage children were swept into the current and the parents attempted to help.

The teenagers eventually managed to break free from the current but the parents remained stuck in the water, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

“The kids were able to break the current and attempted to help their parents, but it became too dangerous and they were forced to swim ashore,” investigators added.

Martin County Ocean Rescue responded promptly and attempted to perform life-saving measures before transporting them to the hospital. Despite their efforts, the two adults were later pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office confirmed.

On Thursday, prior to the incident, red flags at the beach signaled dangerous surf conditions, and the National Weather Service office in Melbourne warned of a “high risk” of rip currents along the coast.

“A lot of people are locals, they understand rip tides. They know what to do, what not to do,” Martin County Chief Deputy John Budensiek said in a statement to WPTV West Palm Beach. “We get these vacationers that come in and, unfortunately, this ends poorly for them. There’s no way to get the message out to all of them.”

It’s the season for family vacations. Here are five ideas to consider.

Beaches Resorts (Ocho Rios or Negril, Jamaica)

Access your slice of sun-filled fun during a family vacation at one of two Beaches Resorts in Jamaica. Both all-inclusive options provide an endless list of activities and adventures to keep every member of your family happily engaged. Relax on the private white-sand beach, dip into your choice of five swimming pools and a Pirates Island water park or learn something new in a pool dedicated for scuba practice.

While the younger kids will want to hang with on-site Sesame Street characters, the older crew will be busy sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, paddle boarding or perfecting their swing within the golf program for kids. Lodging options include spacious guest rooms and family suites designed for large and multigenerational clans. Butler and nanny services are also a possibility.

Ask about special air and land promotions.

For more: www.beaches.com

Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve (Puerto Rico)

Guests are drawn to this luxurious, sun-drenched resort for its pristine coastline, dining venues that pay homage to the local culture, a top-notch spa and two well-regarded golf courses. Young people are invited to join in community garden sessions to learn about nurturing the earth and come nightfall to join experts to observe the night sky and learn how the island’s night creatures move about. The whole family can explore an 11-mile trail that winds past the two golf courses, beaches and through tree-shaded forests. Named after the resort’s original developer, Laurance S. Rockefeller, the trail can be explored on foot, by bike or with a golf cart.

For more: https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/sjudo-dorado-beach-a-ritz-carlton-reserve/

Terramor (Bar Harbor, Maine)

Located on Mount Desert Island and the gateway to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor provides opportunities to observe humpback, finback and pilot whales along with puffins, dolphins and seals during the warmer months. Sample tasty ice cream, stroll through quaint shops to discover locally created watercolors, sweetgrass baskets and gemstone jewelry, and crack open a lobster during your stay. Spend the nights at Terramor, an outdoor resort, where you’ll sleep in a luxurious platform tent, stroll through the trees on boardwalks and have the option to consult your onsite outfitter for hiking tips, trail options and even grilling basics.

For more: www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm; https://terramoroutdoorresort.com

Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa (St. Lucia)

At this all-inclusive Caribbean resort, set within 85 acres, children will learn about their destination through activities designed for each age group. The St. Lucia SCOUTS program – Seeing, Crafting, Observing, Understanding, Tasting, — is infused in the fun you’ll find headquartered within the 50,000-square-foot Cocoland Kidz Klub. (Parents receive a complimentary local cell phone to stay in touch when kids are in the Klub.) Expect youngsters to access a mini zipline and rock wall, a petting zoo and plenty of water play. Three of five resort pools cater to kids and include a lazy river and a zero-depth splash pool. Savvy youngsters can order colorful slushies and fruity drinks at their own swim-up bar. When parents opt for time at the spa or a night on their own, kids can enjoy their own Pirates Night or Movie Night on the Splash Lawn.

For more: www.cbayresort.com

Snow King Resort (Jackson Hole, Wyoming)

Located at the base of Snow King Mountain and just blocks from the historic Jackson Hole Town Square, Snow King Resort offers both guest rooms and luxury condominium vacation rentals in the heart of one of the West’s most dramatic destinations, the gateway to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Onsite amenities include a fitness center, an outdoor heated pool, a hot tub, and a game room. During the summer months expect snow cones and s’mores around the fire pits, croquet, multiple lawn games and scavenger hunts. Book adventure and educational tours that will depart from the resort lobby or visit adjacent Snow King Mountain for its Treetop Adventure, an alpine slide, scenic gondola rides and miniature golf.

For more: www.snowking.com

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(Lynn O’Rourke Hayes (LOHayes.com) is an author, family travel expert and enthusiastic explorer.  Gather more travel intel on Twitter @lohayes, Facebook, or via FamilyTravel.com)

©2024 FamilyTravel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Isabella Rosario Blum was wrapping up medical school and considering residency programs to become a family practice physician when she got some frank advice: If she wanted to be trained to provide abortions, she shouldn’t stay in Arizona.

Blum turned to programs mostly in states where abortion access — and, by extension, abortion training — is likely to remain protected, like California, Colorado, and New Mexico. Arizona has enacted a law banning most abortions after 15 weeks.

“I would really like to have all the training possible,” she said, “so of course that would have still been a limitation.”

In June, she will start her residency at Swedish Cherry Hill hospital in Seattle.

According to new statistics from the Association of American Medical Colleges, for the second year in a row, students graduating from U.S. medical schools were less likely to apply this year for residency positions in states with abortion bans and other significant abortion restrictions.

Since the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, state fights over abortion access have created plenty of uncertainty for pregnant patients and their doctors. But that uncertainty has also bled into the world of medical education, forcing some new doctors to factor state abortion laws into their decisions about where to begin their careers.

Fourteen states, primarily in the Midwest and South, have banned nearly all abortions. The new analysis by the AAMC — a preliminary copy of which was exclusively reviewed by KFF Health News before its public release — found that the number of applicants to residency programs in states with near-total abortion bans declined by 4.2%, compared with a 0.6% drop in states where abortion remains legal.

Notably, the AAMC’s findings illuminate the broader problems abortion bans can create for a state’s medical community, particularly in an era of provider shortages: The organization tracked a larger decrease in interest in residencies in states with abortion restrictions not only among those in specialties most likely to treat pregnant patients, like OB-GYNs and emergency room doctors, but also among aspiring doctors in other specialties.

“It should be concerning for states with severe restrictions on reproductive rights that so many new physicians — across specialties — are choosing to apply to other states for training instead,” wrote Atul Grover, executive director of the AAMC’s Research and Action Institute.

The AAMC analysis found the number of applicants to OB-GYN residency programs in abortion ban states dropped by 6.7%, compared with a 0.4% increase in states where abortion remains legal. For internal medicine, the drop observed in abortion ban states was over five times as much as in states where abortion is legal.

In its analysis, the AAMC said an ongoing decline in interest in ban states among new doctors ultimately “may negatively affect access to care in those states.”

Jack Resneck Jr., immediate past president of the American Medical Association, said the data demonstrates yet another consequence of the post-Roe v. Wade era.

The AAMC analysis notes that even in states with abortion bans, residency programs are filling their positions — mostly because there are more graduating medical students in the U.S. and abroad than there are residency slots.

Still, Resneck said, “we’re extraordinarily worried.” For example, physicians without adequate abortion training may not be able to manage miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, or potential complications such as infection or hemorrhaging that could stem from pregnancy loss.

Those who work with students and residents say their observations support the AAMC’s findings. “People don’t want to go to a place where evidence-based practice and human rights in general are curtailed,” said Beverly Gray, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University School of Medicine.

Abortion in North Carolina is banned in nearly all cases after 12 weeks. Women who experience unexpected complications or discover their baby has potentially fatal birth defects later in pregnancy may not be able to receive care there.

Gray said she worries that even though Duke is a highly sought training destination for medical residents, the abortion ban “impacts whether we have the best and brightest coming to North Carolina.”

Rohini Kousalya Siva will start her obstetrics and gynecology residency at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., this year. She said she did not consider programs in states that have banned or severely restricted abortion, applying instead to programs in Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington, D.C.

“We’re physicians,” said Kousalya Siva, who attended medical school in Virginia and was previously president of the American Medical Student Association. “We’re supposed to be giving the best evidence-based care to our patients, and we can’t do that if we haven’t been given abortion training.”

Another consideration: Most graduating medical students are in their 20s, “the age when people are starting to think about putting down roots and starting families,” said Gray, who added that she is noticing many more students ask about politics during their residency interviews.

And because most young doctors make their careers in the state where they do their residencies, “people don’t feel safe potentially having their own pregnancies living in those states” with severe restrictions, said Debra Stulberg, chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Chicago.

Stulberg and others worry that this self-selection away from states with abortion restrictions will exacerbate the shortages of physicians in rural and underserved areas.

“The geographic misalignment between where the needs are and where people are choosing to go is really problematic,” she said. “We don’t need people further concentrating in urban areas where there’s already good access.”

After attending medical school in Tennessee, which has adopted one of the most sweeping abortion bans in the nation, Hannah Light-Olson will start her OB-GYN residency at the University of California-San Francisco this summer.

It was not an easy decision, she said. “I feel some guilt and sadness leaving a situation where I feel like I could be of some help,” she said. “I feel deeply indebted to the program that trained me, and to the patients of Tennessee.”

Light-Olson said some of her fellow students applied to programs in abortion ban states “because they think we need pro-choice providers in restrictive states now more than ever.” In fact, she said, she also applied to programs in ban states when she was confident the program had a way to provide abortion training.

“I felt like there was no perfect, 100% guarantee; we’ve seen how fast things can change,” she said. “I don’t feel particularly confident that California and New York aren’t going to be under threat, too.”

As a condition of a scholarship she received for medical school, Blum said, she will have to return to Arizona to practice, and it is unclear what abortion access will look like then. But she is worried about long-term impacts.

“Residents, if they can’t get the training in the state, then they’re probably less likely to settle down and work in the state as well,” she said.

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(KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.)

©2024 Kaiser Health News. Visit khn.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Cole County judge will decide whether the Missouri Republican Party can block a candidate with alleged ties to the Ku Klux Klan from running for governor as a Republican.

Circuit Court Judge Cotton Walker held a one-day trial in Jefferson City on Thursday over a lawsuit from the state party seeking to remove the candidate, Darrell Leon McClanahan III, from the August ballot.

McClanahan, who resides in Milo, a small village in southwestern Vernon County, filed to run for governor as a Republican and paid his $500 filing fee in February. The state party has since disavowed McClanahan after a photo resurfaced online of him saluting in front of a burning cross next to a person who was wearing what appeared to be a hooded Ku Klux Klan robe.

The lawsuit names as defendants both McClanahan and Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who is also running for governor. Walker did not immediately rule on the lawsuit on Thursday.

“The only reason…the party seeks to have him not on the ballot is his avowed membership and endorsement of Ku Klux Klan principles,” Lowell Pearson, an attorney for the party, said on Thursday.

The Missouri GOP argues in its lawsuit it has chosen to disassociate with McClanahan due to his “racism and antisemitism.” That decision, the party argues, is protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Pearson also argued, relying on testimony from Miles Ross, the party’s executive director, that it would be “factually impossible” for the party to vet every single candidate before it accepts their filing fee.

David Roland, an attorney for McClanahan, on Thursday criticized the lawsuit as “political theater.” He argued that the party had opportunities to reject McClanahan’s filing fee but chose not to do so.

“They’ve chosen twice to associate with Mr. McClanahan. And the issue here today is No. 1, they regret that decision. And No. 2, they wish to make a political statement,” Roland said. “This is simply an effort to wave the flag and say, ‘we don’t want to be associated with people that we believe are anti-semites or racists.’”

Thursday’s trial comes just weeks before the final certification date for the August election on May 28. Unless Walker intervenes, McClanahan’s name would appear at the top of the ballot in the Republican primary for governor, according to the unofficial candidate filing list on the Missouri Secretary of State Office’s website.

The lawsuit from the state party includes examples of McClanahan’s racist past, including the photo of him saluting next to the burning cross, a social media post that includes a racial slur, social media posts “using Nazi imagery” and social media post that uses the phrase “White Power.”

But while the lawsuit argues the party did not know about McClanahan’s past, this is not the first time McClanahan has run for elected office as a Republican in Missouri.

The Anti-Defamation League in 2022 wrote about the photo of McClanahan in front of the burning cross after he ran an unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate.

McClanahan, in response last year, filed a more than $5 million defamation suit against the organization demanding that the article be removed. In court filings, McClanahan described himself as a “Pro-White man” who is “dedicated to traditional Christian values.”

He said in the lawsuit that he has never been a member of the KKK, but was instead provided an “Honorary 1-year membership” by a Missouri coordinator. McClanahan told The Star in a text message in March that he received an honorary 1-year membership to the League of the South — which the ADL condemns as a white supremacist group.

A federal magistrate judge tossed the lawsuit last year, finding that McClanahan did not sufficiently allege a claim against the organization.

“The Complaint itself reflects that Plaintiff holds the views ascribed to him by the ADL article, that is the characterization of his social media presence and views as antisemitic, white supremacist, anti-government, and bigoted,” the judge wrote in the order.

The push to remove McClanahan from the ballot comes as Missouri Republicans look to hold onto control of the governor’s office after Gov. Mike Parson terms out of office. The major Republican candidates include Ashcroft, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, and Sen. Bill Eigel from Weldon Spring.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade and businessman Mike Hamra are the two major Democratic candidates for governor.

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©2024 The Kansas City Star. Visit at kansascity.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Rite Aid has announced that it is closing 17 more stores, including six locations in Pennsylvania.

The stores are in Monroe, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, Dauphin and Centre counties. The company announced the closings in a bankruptcy filing earlier this month.

Here are the locations that are closing:

• Monroe County: 4551 Milford Road, Middle Smithfield Township, near East Stroudsburg
• Chester County: 3807 Lincoln Highway, Caln Township,  near Downingtown
• Delaware County: 510 E. Baltimore Pike, Media
• Philadelphia: 6744-46 N. Fifth St.
• Centre County: 1536 N. Atherton St., Ferguson Township, near State College
• Dauphin County: 124 S. Front St., Steelton

Rite Aid, which was based in East Pennsboro Township near Camp Hill for decades and is now based in Philadelphia, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October to begin restructuring to significantly reduce its debt.

Since October, the company has announced in bankruptcy filings the closings of more than 400 stores.

©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit pennlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency’s board on Thursday voted without discussion to push back the Free Application for Federal Student Aid deadline to June 1. This decision grows out of the high number of errors and delays associated with the federal government’s introduction of a simplified FAFSA.

Completing the FAFSA is the first step to determine eligibility for federal, state and institutional financial aid.

Students who submit their applications by the new deadline and meet the state grant program’s criteria for receiving an award will be assured of getting one, according to PHEAA officials. Grant amounts vary based on family income and the cost of attending a post-secondary institution. The need-based grants do not have to be repaid.

Not knowing how much financial aid students will receive is expected to result in a decline in college enrollments next year, with more students taking a gap year following their high school graduation, which runs the risk of some students never attending college, college officials say.

The National Association of College Admissions Counseling is estimating the delays in the FAFSA process could reduce student enrollment next year by more than 500,000 with a disproportionate number of students being those who have the greatest financial need.

Many colleges and universities announced delays in their deadlines for students committing to enrolling in the fall as a result.

Penn State, Pitt and the 10 Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education universities announced they were pushing back their deadline for new student to commit to at least May 15. Temple University this week announced it is extending its deadline to July 15.

Joseph Howard, Widener University vice president for enrollment, sent a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro on April 10 imploring him to call for a delay in the traditional May 1 deadline for FAFSA submissions for state grants.

“We risk leaving tens of thousands of students from across the commonwealth without the vital support the PA State Grant program affords them,” Howard stated.

PHEAA relies on the number of FAFSA form completions in its formula for calculating the size of maximum grant awards, which this year were as high as $5,750.

Earlier this week, Elizabeth McCloud, PHEAA’s vice president for state grant and special programs, reported to the board’s need analysis and aid committee the number of first-time and renewal students who completed the FAFSA was 251,961 as of April 5. That is down 68,231 applicants at the same time last year.

Extending the FAFSA completion deadline provides an opportunity for more students to meet the grant eligibility requirements, she told the committee. However, she noted If more students qualify for a grant, that could lead to a need for more grant money given the board’s goal of maintaining the maximum award at $5,750.

Shapiro proposed increasing the $347.3 million in state funding to $378.3 million in his 2024-25 budget. He anticipates PHEAA using earnings from its student aid business lines to supplement that with $15 million, for a total of $393.3 million. The governor’s request included an expectation that the maximum grant award would increase to $6,750 as part of his higher education reform plan which is still taking shape.

Yet another wrinkle that could affect the amount of money needed for the grant program resulted from the federal switch to the Student Aid Index to determine eligibility.

McCloud said that change likely will increase the number of students who fall under the income limits to qualify for a state grant. PHEAA estimates that change could require $40 million more in funding for the program to maintain the maximum grant award at the current level.

On the other hand, PHEAA’s president and CEO Jim Steeley told the committee the decline in FAFSA completions and expected reduction in college enrollments could offset the need for more funding.

As a result of the confusion surrounding the FAFSA errors and delays, he said, “There are a lot of people who are very frustrated.”

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X at @JanMurphy.

©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit pennlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

It’s not clear how many of them will be hired by Villanova.

The school filed a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry informing the state of the closure and that it will lay off hundreds of employees.

The school is laying off 363 people, including 64 full-time administrators; two part-time administrators; five full-time facilities employees; 113 part-time adjunct faculty members; 49 full-time faculty members; 15 part-time seasonal employees; 99 student workers; five part-time support staff members and 11 full-time staff members.

The school at 610 King of Prussia Road in Radnor Township will close on June 30 and the layoffs will take place between May 17 and Aug. 30.

The WARN Act is federal legislation that offers protection to workers, their families and communities by requiring employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of a covered-business closing and covered-business mass layoff. There are some exceptions to the 60-day requirement. The WARN notice was dated March 27.

“After more than six decades of providing an Education of the Heart inspired by Mother Cabrini and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cabrini University will graduate its final class in May 2024,” the university said in a note on its website.

Founded in 1957 by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cabrini University is a Catholic institution that offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and minors, as well as online and hybrid graduate, doctoral, and professional studies programs.

Villanova University and Cabrini University, along with the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus announced in November that the organizations had reached a final agreement for Villanova to assume ownership of the Cabrini campus after the conclusion of this school year.

“It was important to honor the work of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by continuing to foster what St. Frances Xavier Cabrini called ‘education of the heart’,” Helen Drinan, Cabrini University president, said in a news release in November. “We feel confident that our agreement with Villanova will preserve the Cabrini legacy and that our work to educate both minds and hearts will be carried forth. The Cabrini University impact does not end when our doors close.”

Villanova will maintain the Cabrini name for the 112-acre campus. Completion of the transaction is contingent on a number of regulatory and other approvals.

Villanova said it will also preserve Cabrini’s legacy through a variety of initiatives, including creating an institute/center on immigration; incorporating the work of Cabrini’s Wolfington Center into existing Villanova programs focused on developing students as advocates for social change; and establishing a “Cabrini Scholars” scholarship program in conjunction with the program that currently exists with Cabrini High School in New Orleans.

Villanova will also provide resources to commemorate, celebrate and document the history and artifacts associated with Mother Cabrini and the Cabrini campus. Additionally, two designated representatives from Cabrini, including at least one representative from the Missionary Sisters, will serve on the Villanova board of trustees for up to two successive terms of five years.

“Villanova’s and Cabrini’s shared faith, common values and corresponding missions allowed for a strong alignment of two like-minded institutions,” the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, Villanova University president, said in the November news release. “This agreement provides an opportunity for Villanova to honor the legacy of Mother Cabrini and Cabrini University, while furthering our commitment to advancing Catholic higher education.”

It would’ve been weird enough for Justin Timberlake, of all people, to open his new album with a sob story about the high price of fame. But one in which he frames the pain he’s endured as a byproduct of his devotion to his Tennessee hometown? That’s truly unhinged.

Yet it’s just what Timberlake does with “Memphis,” the first song on “Everything I Thought It Was,” which came out Friday, more than half a decade after the release of his previous LP. Over a bleary, slow-mo trap beat, the singer and former boy-band star, now 43, laments the isolation he experienced and the sacrifices he made on his way up — a wild choice given the critique that’s coalesced in recent years of Timberlake as a man long permitted to glide by troubles that damaged the women around him (including his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears and his onetime Super Bowl halftime partner Janet Jackson).

It’s also a baffling aesthetic approach: By rooting his struggles in his connection to an African American cultural capital — “I was way too far out in the world, but I still put on for my city,” he insists in his well-practiced blaccent — Timberlake is flaunting his proximity to Blackness at a moment when pop seems to have little of the use it once did for white guys doing R&B. Consider the disappearance of Robin Thicke; consider Justin Bieber’s apparent reluctance to jump back into the game.

Or consider that much of the discourse surrounding this year’s Super Bowl halftime performance, by Usher, had to do with the sorry fact that it took this Black superstar as long as it did to reach pop’s biggest stage while Timberlake was invited to headline six years ago — and after having taken part in the 2004 “wardrobe malfunction” that derailed Jackson’s career.

None of this is to doubt Timberlake’s genuine love of R&B nor to diminish his undeniable skill for making it: Though it’s larded with glib disco-funk tracks and morose, One Republic-style pop-rock tunes, “Everything I Thought It Was” contains a handful of gems in “Love & War,” a Prince-ish ballad with his prettiest falsetto singing, and the spacey slow jam “What Lovers Do”; “Selfish,” the album’s coolly received lead single, is another highlight, this one with echoes of Bieber’s underrated “Changes” from 2020.

Timberlake’s enthusiasms were also on display last week at the Wiltern, where he played an intimate free concert meant to drum up attention for the new music and for a world tour he’ll launch next month. His 2006 ballad “Until the End of Time” was soulful and unhurried — watch him do it with similar finesse in a just-released NPR Tiny Desk Concert — and he seemed sincerely amped to bring out Coco Jones, the up-and-coming R&B singer, for a duet on her slinky “ICU,” which he called one of his favorite songs of the last five years.

Jones wasn’t Timberlake’s only guest at the Wiltern: Near the end of the show, he reunited the members of ’N Sync to perform a medley of several of the band’s vintage hits, including “Gone,” probably its most impressive downtempo moment, and “Girlfriend,” which the group did as a raunchy mash-up with Too Short’s classic “Blow the Whistle.” (Less happily, the members also perched on five carefully arranged stools to offer the live debut of “Paradise,” a maudlin new ’N Sync song featured on “Everything I Thought It Was.”)

For most of the nearly two decades since ’N Sync’s initial breakup, Timberlake has appeared ambivalent about a comeback, even sitting out a much-hyped cameo by the group during Ariana Grande’s performance at Coachella in 2019. Here, though, he looked gratified to have his old pals by his side — and eager, perhaps, to revisit a time when his privilege promised unlimited mileage.

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©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Niche’s rankings are fueled by reviews and data from sources like the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census, Civil Rights Data Collection and more. The Pittsburgh-headquartered school search platform ranks public elementary schools through the following major categories:

• Academics grade, which is based on state assessment proficiency rates, district academics grades, student-to-teacher ratios and parent or student surveys on academics

• Diversity grade, which is based on a student racial diversity index, parent or student survey covering culture and diversity and percentages of economic disadvantages and gender diversity

• Teachers grade, which is based on academic grades, parent or student surveys on educators, teacher absenteeism, salary index, the portion of teachers in their first or second year of teaching, average salary and student-to-teacher ratios

In total, Niche breaks down its overall grades into the following segments:

• Academics grade: 50%

• Teachers grade: 20%

• District overall Niche grade: 15%

• Culture and diversity grade: 10%

• Parent/student surveys on overall experience: 5%

Most of the top public elementary schools in Pennsylvania in 2024 are located near Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, just as they were in Niche’s 2023 rankings.

Each of the public elementary schools comprising Pennsylvania’s top statewide performers received “A+” overall grades, but their strengths and offerings vary. Here’s a brief look at how the Keystone State’s top 25 public elementary schools compare in 2024.

25. Wallingford Elementary School

Location: Wallingford, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B diversity

This Delaware County school offers a 14-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio spread across roughly 552 students, Niche reports. Wallingford Elementary School’s students recently combined proficiency rates of 80% in math and 88% in reading.

24. Peebles Elementary School

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B diversity

Out in Pittsburgh, this elementary school serves about 400 students with a 14-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Approximately 67% of those students are at least proficient in math, while roughly 82% can say the same for reading, Niche says.

23. Markham Elementary School

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and C+ diversity

Also in Pittsburgh, Markham Elementary School instructs nearly 300 students and offers a 14-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Recent state test scores indicate at least 82% of those students are proficient in math, while about 92% are at least proficient in reading.

22. Fairview Elementary School

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B- diversity

Continuing a streak of Pittsburgh-area schools, Fairview Elementary School checks in with a 13-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio spread across roughly 375 students. Its student body produced proficiency rates of 92% in math and reading.

21. Belmont Hills Elementary School

Location: Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity

Out near Philadelphia, this public elementary school offers an 8-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio across 346 students. Recent state test scores indicate about 72% of those students are at least proficient in math, while roughly 83% are at least proficient in reading.

20. Baker Elementary School

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B- diversity

Back in the Pittsburgh area, this public elementary school boasts a 15-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio and a student body of 446 pupils. Baker Elementary School’s students recently produced proficiency rates of 82% and 87% in math and reading, respectively.

19. Hosack Elementary School

Location: Allison Park, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B diversity

This Pittsburgh-area elementary school has a 14-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio for its 351 students. Recent state testing produced a 67% proficiency rate for math, but an 87% proficiency rate for reading, Niche reports.

18. New Eagle Elementary School

Location: Wayne, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity

Just outside Philadelphia, New Eagle Elementary School instructs 505 students and offers a 15-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio, Niche reports. Recent state test scores indicate at least 77% of those students are proficient in math, while around 92% are proficient in reading.

17. Eisenhower Elementary School

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B diversity

This top-rated Pittsburgh school instructs 525 students between kindergarten and the fourth grade, offering a 15-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Those students showed proficiency rates of 87% in math and 92% in reading, Niche’s report says.

16. Ingomar Elementary School

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B- diversity

Roughly 346 students call this school home, Niche reports. Ingomar Elementary School offers a 14-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio and recently saw its students achieve 74% proficiency in math and 85% in reading.

15. Gladwyne Elementary School

Location: Gladwyne, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A teachers and B+ diversity

In Montgomery County in southeastern Pennsylvania, this elementary school instructs 541 students between kindergarten and the fourth grade. It offers a 10-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio and recently saw its students produce proficiency rates of 80% and 89% in math and reading, respectively.

14. Valley Forge Elementary School

Location: Wayne, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity

Ranked the third-best public elementary school in Chester County, this school offers a 16-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio among its 580 students in kindergarten through the fourth grade. Recent state test scores produced an 82% proficiency rate in math and a 92% proficiency rate in reading.

13. Penn Wynne School

Location: Wynnewood, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A teachers and A- diversity

This Philadelphia-area elementary school instructs 614 students in kindergarten through the fourth grade and offers an 11-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Those students achieved proficiency rates of 79% in math and 86% in reading, Niche reports.

12. Hillside Elementary School

Location: Berwyn, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity

This Chester County elementary school offers a 13-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio for its student body of 440 students in kindergarten through the fourth grade. Recent state test scores found 82% of those students are at least proficient in math, while around 92% are at least proficient in reading.

11. Cynwyd Elementary School

Location: Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity

This Philadelphia-area K-4 elementary school boasts an 11-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio across 428 students. Cynwyd Elementary School’s students produced proficiency rates of 81% and 87% in math and reading, respectively.

10. Devon Elementary School

Location: Devon, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity

Ranked the top-rated public elementary school in Chester County, Devon Elementary School instructs 396 students between kindergarten and the fourth grade and offers a 13-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. The latest batch of state test scores indicates the school’s students produced proficiency rates of 77% in math and 92% in reading.

9. Wayne Elementary School

Location: Wayne, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity

This Philadelphia-area school offers a 12-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio spread across its 542 students. Roughly 66% of Wayne Elementary School’s students are proficient in math, while 81% can say the same for reading.

8. Marshall Elementary School

Location: Wexford, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity

Out near Pittsburgh, this elementary school instructs 756 students and offers a 15-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Recent state test scores indicate those students achieved proficiency rates of 76% in math and around 85% in reading.

7. Merion Elementary School

Location: Merion Station, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity

Back in Montgomery County, this public elementary school offers a 10-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio across its 447 students in kindergarten through the fourth grade. Those students produced proficiency rates of 84% and 89% in math and reading, respectively.

6. Penn Valley School

Location: Narberth, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity

This Montgomery County K-4 elementary school instructs 514 students and boasts a 10-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. A recent batch of state test scores indicated roughly 78% of the school’s students are at least proficient in math, while about 86% can say the same for reading.

5. Radnor Elementary School

Location: Radnor, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity

Back in the Philadelphia suburbs, this elementary school offers a 14-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio for its 571 students. The school’s student body recently achieved proficiency rates of about 75% in math and around 91% in reading.

4. Franklin Elementary School

Location: Sewickley, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity

This Pittsburgh suburbs elementary school instructs 744 students and holds a 15-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Recent state test scores indicate proficiency rates of roughly 82% and 92% in math and reading, respectively, for Franklin Elementary School’s students.

3. Bradford Woods Elementary School

Location: Bradford Woods, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B diversity

Ranked the top public elementary school in the Pittsburgh Area, Bradford Woods Elementary School offers a 14-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio for its 369 students. Roughly 88% of those students tested proficiently in math, while 92% can say the same for reading.

2. The Souderton Charter School Collaborative

Location: Souderton, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity

This charter school in the Philadelphia suburbs boasts an 8-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio for its 226 students in kindergarten through the eighth grade. According to state test scores, about 67% of those students are at least proficient in math, while up to 92% are at least proficient in reading.

1. Ithan Elementary School

Location: Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity

Once again claiming the top spot among Pennsylvania’s public elementary schools, Ithan Elementary School offers a 13-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio spread across its 482 students. The latest batch of state test scores suggests about 77% of those students are at least proficient in math, while about 85% are at least proficient in reading.

You can browse through the top-ranked Pennsylvania elementary schools by visiting niche.com/k12/search/best-public-elementary-schools/s/pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania’s new laws in 2024 will cover many fields and acts that affect the everyday life of the commonwealth’s residents.

Some of the highlights include new penalties for mail and package theft, requirements for fentanyl testing in hospitals and opportunities for automatic voter registration.

Here’s what you need to know about some of Pennsylvania’s newest laws and amendments in 2024.

Crime and public safety

Several new Pennsylvania laws in effect for 2024 hope to curb theft.

Notably, Pennsylvania will start punishing “porch pirating” as a felony, imposing specific penalties for those who steal mail, packages, bags or letters. Repeat offenders can receive increased penalties if they have prior mail theft convictions.

Another new law will establish a deputy attorney general within the commonwealth’s Attorney General’s Office. An official in this role will work to lead a team of prosecutors managing retail theft throughout Pennsylvania.

Sweeping reforms are on the way for probation in Pennsylvania, as well, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Probation review conferences are now required after two years or upon reaching 50% of a person’s probation sentence, while felony probation reviews kick in after four years or upon reaching 50% of a person’s probation sentence.

The law also instructs judges to hold a “presumption against confinement” and send offenders back to jail only if they commit a “serious violation” or are a threat to public safety.

Some notable changes will affect law enforcement.

For example, a new law will reduce fitness requirements for prospective police officers, mainly by lowering the target percentiles applicants need to meet for runs, bench presses and sit-ups during fitness evaluations.

Another new law will grant the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission the proper authority to conduct fingerprint-based criminal history checks for those applying to become municipal police officers.

Another new law offers a host of updated regulations for incarcerated women. Notably, it prevents pregnant women from being shackled or placed in solitary confinement. Male guards can no longer perform full-body searches of female inmates.

A new law will enter into effect and update some requirements for drivers, including those who fail to stop for school buses flashing red lights as they drop off students. Another law will require insurance entities to conduct cybersecurity risk assessments, develop protocols and report any breaches to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.

Earlier in December, Shapiro signed a bill that will result in significant changes to Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana market.

The commonwealth’s permitting program now allows all at-home medical marijuana growers to sell products to patients directly after obtaining an additional dispensary permit. Additionally, independent dispensaries can now obtain permits to cultivate their products in-house.

Government

A new law will allow those who renew driver’s licenses or state-issued identification to choose to be automatically registered to vote, though this is not required. The legislation specifies those who are not eligible to vote — such as drivers under the age of 18 — will not receive such an option.

More than 20 states have pledged to implement automatic voter registration in the coming years. In a statement, Shapiro said the initiative will help Pennsylvania’s elections reach more voters.

“Automatic voter registration is a commonsense step to ensure election security and save Pennsylvanians time and tax dollars,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Residents of our Commonwealth already provide proof of identity, residency, age, and citizenship at the DMV — all the information required to register to vote — so it makes good sense to streamline that process with voter registration. My Administration will keep taking innovative actions like this one to make government work better and more efficiently for all Pennsylvanians.”

Another law will help remove racist language in property deeds, such as restrictive deed covenants that prevent sales to people on a racial, ethnic or religious basis.

Once effective, the act will allow property owners or homeowners associations to file forms with their local Recorder of Deeds offices to strike restrictive covenants from their deeds without needing to pay a fee.

Education

New laws will allow school districts to modify scheduling to complete school years by either operating for 180 days or accumulating enough instruction time: 900 hours at the elementary level or 990 hours at the secondary level.

Current law requires schools to be open for at least 180 days in addition to meeting hourly instruction requirements.

By repealing a section of a decades-old public school code, teachers can now wear religious garb, marks, emblems or insignia while at work.

A new amendment will require most Pennsylvania colleges and universities to offer in-state tuition rates to veterans, their spouses and dependent children, so long as students are Pennsylvania residents. Another law will require school districts to develop policies to help children of military members and their spouses receive advance enrollment before establishing residency, should the family receive official orders to move to Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania’s state-related universities — Penn State, Temple University, Lincoln University and the University of Pittsburgh — are required to disclose more records about their finances, employment and operations. For the most part, the universities remain otherwise exempt from Pennsylvania’s open records law.

Health

A new Pennsylvania law will require hospitals to include fentanyl testing in urine drug screenings. Health care providers must also obtain specific and informed consent, in written or verbal form, before performing pelvic, rectal or prostate exams.

Insurers must cover preventative breast and ovarian cancer screenings for high-risk women, according to a new law. The act is expected to eliminate out-of-pocket costs associated with such tests.

Other new laws will categorize maternal morbidity complications as reportable events and help former military medics transition to civilian EMT/paramedics by requiring service providers to consider service experience when evaluating professional credentials.

Pets

Several changes are on the way for Pennsylvania’s dog laws.

Notably, dogs must be licensed at three months of age, or when transferred to a new owner. Annual and lifetime dog license and kennel fees will increase, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has more power to increase license fees.

Pet shops and kennels offering dogs for sale or adoption must display specified information for each dog. The Department of Agriculture can now revoke a kennel’s license or refuse a kennel’s license application if individuals are convicted on animal cruelty charges.

Additionally, dogs deemed “dangerous” by the commonwealth must be muzzled, leashed and under physical restraint in public. The legislation includes additional clarification regarding definitions and penalties for “dangerous” dogs.

Food

New legislation signed in November permanently established PA Preferred Organic, a brand for Pennsylvania-grown organic agricultural products.

Any products bearing the new PA Preferred Organic label meet state and federal requirements for organic production and will receive proper marketing on store shelves.