Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The State Senate today unanimously approved legislation to expand and enhance the safe schools grant program within the Department of Education, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25). Scarnati was able to secure over $8.5 million in this year’s budget for funding of school safety initiatives, in order to provide grants to Pennsylvania schools and municipalities to address the issue of school violence and improve school safety. Senate Bill 10 was introduced by Senator Scarnati in February, in response in part to the tragic school shooting that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, last December. “Passage of Senate Bill 10 is a major accomplishment for Pennsylvania’s children, parents and educators,” Scarnati said. “I am grateful to my colleagues in the Senate and the House for understanding the necessity of this legislation, which will ensure the greatest level of security possible in our schools. Protecting our childre...

Scarnati proposal to be discussed School emergency plans and security measures designed to ensure student safety and increase school-to-parent communication during an emergency will receive an in-depth review by two key Senate committees Senators Lisa Baker (R-20), Mike Folmer (R-48), and Joe Scarnati (R-25) announced Thursday. The Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, chaired by Sen. Baker, and the Education Committee, chaired by Sen. Folmer, will hold the hearing from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13 in the North Office Building, Hearing Room 1, Harrisburg. Among the strategies to be discussed is a proposal by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati to give grants to schools to train and hire armed guards to provide security. “Every day care, school, college and university must have an emergency plan in place and they need to be able to carry it out,” Baker said. “Law enforcement and other emergency personnel need the training and cap...

State Rep. Matt Gabler spoke in support of Second Amendment rights at a rally held Wednesday at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. He was joined by a number of legislators at the event, hosted by "Pennsylvania Responsible Citizens." Also today, hundreds of people attended the Cease Fire Pa. gun control rally. Senator Larry Farnese is introducing legislation that would ban assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines in Pennsylvania. Photo provided by Gabler's office The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Senator Joe Scarnati sent the following memo to his Senate colleagues this morning regarding school safety: In the near future I will be introducing legislation to provide targeted grants to Pennsylvania schools in order to address the issue of school violence and improve school safety. This proposal will expand and enhance the current Safe Schools Grant program offered by the Office for Safe Schools within the Pennsylvania Department of Education. In addition, a new program will be established, within the Office for Safe Schools, to provide dedicated grant funding to school entities for the purpose of training and hiring armed guards to provide security for their schools. The unimaginable tragedy which took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut last month has generated a nationwide discussion on the issue of school safety. It is apparent that the most important thing Government can do in order to combat evil individuals, like the mass-murderer who took so ...

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Howard, today released the following statement in response to President Obama’s plan to reduce gun violence: “The President has proposed a broad set of recommendations, which I plan to review carefully. There are no easy solutions when it comes to preventing violence, but we have an obligation to take every effort possible to better protect our communities, especially our children. “I believe there are areas of policy that can be improved upon, especially indentifying gaps in our mental health system, better detection of mental illness, and enhanced communication and coordination among community organizations, law enforcement agencies, and offices of public safety. I also believe that school safety and the broader issue of child safety should remain a focus at all levels of government and society as we move forward. “While the nation has enacted many responsible limits on firearms, including long-established re...

President Barack Obama has announced a $500 million package of executive actions and legislative proposals aimed at reducing gun violence. For details, and continuing coverage, go to NBCNews.com The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

At just aftern 5 o'clock this afternoon New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into a law a new package of gun regulations to fortify the state's existing assault weapons ban, limit the number of bullets in magazines and strengthen rules that keep the mentally ill from owning firearms. The measure is the nation's first gun-control bill since last month's school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. State Senator Cathy Young voted against the measure saying it goes too far in penalizing law-abiding gun owners who are not part of the problem, and doesn't go far enough to address the root causes of violent crimes. She says untreated mental illness of those who are dangerous is not adepquately addressed. Young says while she's glad parts of Kendra's Law were passed, too many people will still fall through the cracks and there will be more victims as a result. Kendra’s Law allows for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment for mentally ill people who won’t ...

EDINBORO – Rep. Greg Lucas (R-Erie/Crawford) has announced he plans to introduce legislation in the near future that would empower teachers to protect students by enabling qualified school personnel in Pennsylvania to carry firearms on school property. “This is about trusting our teachers to protect our students,” Lucas said. “We trust our teachers with our students’ minds. However, current law prevents them from defending our children’s bodies during an emergency situation. My law would change that.” Current Pennsylvania law severely restricts firearms on school property. Lucas’s bill – the “School Personnel Right to Carry Act” – would allow, but not require, teachers, principals, administrators and other school personnel to carry a firearm if they pass a three-point check system. Teachers would have to pass the background check that is already a pre-condition for employment in the Pennsylvania School Code. The teacher also would have to pass an additional background check – i...

Harrisburg - Governor Tom Corbett was joined today by First Lady Susan Corbett, Lieutenant Governor Cawley, members of his cabinet and staff to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The governor also issued a proclamation declaring Dec. 21, 2012 as an official day of mourning in remembrance of those who were lost one week ago today. Pictured with the Corbetts is Pennsylvania State Trooper Adam Reed, who rang a bell 26 times in remembrance of the school's students and teachers who died on December 14. Photo provided by PA Internet News Service The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Graffiti making threats in a bathroom at Salamanca Junior Senior High School raised concerns today, but the school district superintendent says the threats were not credible. Robert Breidenstein says no one at the school was in any danger, but they did contact Seneca Nation of Indians Marshals and the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office for support. On the district’s website and Facebook page, Breidenstein wrote that in “a social media world misinformation can travel at viral speed.” He went on to say that an unspecified threat was written on a bathroom wall, but no names were mentioned. He added that additional security protocols are being implemented to insure the safety of all students. This includes requesting photo ID from all visitors, increased security presence on campus and requiring entry through only the main entrance. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The National Rifle Association of America is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters – and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown. Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting. The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again. The NRA is planning to hold a news conference in the Washington, DC area on Friday. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

In light of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Bradford Area School District superintendent Katy Pude wants to assure the community that the safety and security of every student and staff member in the district is their number one priority. In a letter to the community, she said although the district has safety plans and procedures in place they are continuing to examine ways to improve on the current protocol. District administrators have meet with City of Bradford Police Chief Chris Lucco and School Resource Officer Butch Bartlett to examine existing procedures. As a result of the meeting, parents may be inconvenienced by having to sign-in when entering a school and wearing a visitor’s badge, but Pude said the new procedures are for the safety of students and staff. Letters outlining the new procedures will be mailed to parents on Thursday. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

While some people are trying to use Friday’s shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, as the start of a gun control debate many people, including State Representative Marty Causer, say "It’s not about the guns; it's about the people." "This person obviously was very mentally ill to commit such a horrible act," Causer said on today's LiveLine on 1490 WESB. "It’s wrong to turn it into a gun control debate." Also on today's LiveLine Causer talked about the possiblity of privatizing the PA lottery, transportation funding and budget issues. Listen here: Video streaming by Ustream The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

After saying they were going to protest during President Obama’s visit to Newtown, Connecticut, on Sunday, members of the Westboro Baptist Church found that the hacker group “Anonymous” targeted their website and stole private information on many of the group’s members. The controversial Westboro group based in Topeka, Kansas, protests at military funerals and events following high profile tragedies claiming God is punishing the United States. Anonymous says they will not allow Westboro to corrupt the minds of America with their seeds of hatred, and will render them obsolete and destroy them. Several members of the Westboro Baptist Church were in Bradford for the memorial service for Master Sergeant Thom Maholic. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Just last month City of Bradford Police Officer Butch Bartlett updated the school board on safety procedures within the Bradford Area School District. He said the district and area law enforcement have been proactive in developing the procedures. You can hear Bartlett's presentation to the school board here: Bartlett by wesbnews1 The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Harrisburg – Governor Tom Corbett ordered all Pennsylvania flags across the state lowered to half-staff immediately in honor of the Connecticut school shooting victims and their families. Corbett also issued the following statement: “My wife, Susan, and I want to offer our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of today’s tragic shooting in Connecticut. As parents, we can imagine nothing more horrific than such a violent, senseless act committed against innocent children. “On behalf of all Pennsylvanians, we want the families of all these victims to know they are in our thoughts and prayers and we share in their grief.’’ Flags shall remain at half-staff until sundown on Tuesday, Dec. 18. All Pennsylvanians are invited to participate in this tribute.