ABOVE PHOTO: Montgomery County employees are now eligible for up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave under a new enhanced policy. (Photo/montgomerycountypa.gov) NORRISTOWN, Pa. — The Montgomery County Commissioners have announced a new enhanced aid Parental Leave Policy for County employees that expands the benefit to up to 16 weeks. This new policy becomes the strongest of its kind in Pennsylvania. The change, which doubles the existing paid parental leave period, is for full-time employees who have worked with the County for at least six months. For most employees, 12 weeks of parental leave ..read more

NORRISTOWN, Pa. — A dozen additional victims have told police they were victimized by a medical assistant who falsely said he was nurse when they sought treatment in recent months at an urgent care facility outside Philadelphia, police said in filing new sexual assault charges. Ramon Garcia, 33, was accused last Thursday of two counts of aggravated indecent assault, multiple counts of indecent assault and invasion of privacy, as well as impersonating a nurse, harassment and other offenses. The alleged crimes took place at Carbon Health urgent care facilities in Montgomery County, police said ..read more

BPT By Andréa Backman, President of Strayer University You’ve probably heard a lot about “the skills gap”-the disparity between the skills an employer expects their employees to have and an employee’s actual skills-and perhaps you even feel that you lack certain skills to advance in your own career. The skills in demand by the workforce continue to evolve rapidly. The 2023 LinkedIn Workplace Learning report indicates the skillsets for jobs are likely only going to continue increasing. Specifically, the report claimed skill sets for jobs have already changed by around 25% since 2015. By 2027, t ..read more

Family Features Birth defects, structural changes†that†affect one or more parts of the body, are the leading cause of infant mortality. A baby is born with a birth defect every 4.5 minutes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Birth defects most often develop during the first three months of pregnancy, when a baby’s organs are forming. Not only can they affect mortality, but they can also cause problems for a baby’s overall health and how the body develops and functions.†Common birth defects include congenital heart defects, cleft lip, cleft palate and spin ..read more

Family Features In the spirit of Black History Month, and this month as Minority Health Awareness Month, you can empower yourself, educate others and elevate your community’s heart health by becoming a CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and AED (automated external defibrillator) champion. Sharing the importance of these life-saving skills can help create a healthier future for generations to come. According to the American Heart Association, Black Americans have the highest incidence of cardiac arrest outside of the hospital and are significantly less likely to survive. Cardiac arrest in Blac ..read more

Culinary.net If you’ve ever taken a bite of something and the only word that came to mind was “yum,” you know what it’s like to experience this dessert. It’s fluffy, sweet, perfectly crumbly and tastes delicious. It’s rich but light. It’s a dessert that will likely never go out of style. You can stop guessing what it may be: this treat is a scrumptious bite of Fluffy Peanut Butter Pie drizzled with chocolate syrup. You will understand the craze once you sink your fork into the chilled triangle resting on your plate. With a chocolate cookie crust and a thick, delicious peanut butter filling, th ..read more

HARRISBURG, Pa. -– The Shapiro administration has implemented a new program from the U.S. Department of Education that allows eligible college students in Pennsylvania and across the country to use Federal Work Study (FWS) funding to work in get-out-the-vote activities, election offices, polling places, and other nonpartisan civic engagement employment opportunities. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt and Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Secretary Dr. Khalid N. Mumin celebrated the recent announcement and highlighted what it means for students who participate in the FWS program ..read more

ABOVE PHOTO: Pennsylvania House Speaker Rep. Joanna McClinton, a Philadelphia Democrat, presides over a Pennsylvania House of Representatives session on April 10, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pa. Democrats are hoping to retain their narrow majority control over the chamber in this year’s legislative elections. (AP Photo/Mark Pynes, File) By Mark Scolforo ASSOCIATED PRESS HARRISBURG, Pa. — The two parties in Pennsylvania’s state House and its congressional delegation are nearly evenly divided, and that won’t change once results are in from next week’s primary election. But come November, the candidates ..read more

The post Sample ballots-2024 Primary appeared first on The Philadelphia Sunday Sun ..read more

There are a number of critical city, state and federal offices at stake in this year’s primary election. In the federal contests, Pennsylvanians will be electing candidates for the offices of president and vice president of the United States, one U.S. senator and U.S. representatives. In the statewide contests, Pennsylvanians will be selecting an attorney general, auditor general, and treasurer. Locally, a number of Pennsylvania General Assembly candidates are also on the ballot. In Philadelphia, there is one ballot question under consideration: Should the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be ame ..read more