Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

In order to be 100 percent fair, I give you the complete, unedited audio of tonight's Bradford Mayoral and McKean County Sheriff debates: Go to WESB.com/listen , click on the "Local Programs" tab and then scroll to #56 for mayor and #214 for sheriff. (They are in alphabetical order.) The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Hiel “Butch” Bartlett, a local police officer with more than 19 years of experience in law enforcement, has thrown his hat in the ring for McKean County sheriff. Bartlett is seeking the Republican nod in the upcoming May Primary Election.. “With your support, I look forward to having the opportunity to make the McKean County Sheriff's Department into a public serving agency which will strive to ensure the safety and protection of the residents of our great county,” he said. Bartlett has spent the last 15 years as a police officer with the City of Bradford Police Department. While employed at the City of Bradford Police Department he held the position of Detective and now serves as a School Resource Officer in the Bradford Area School District. “In my time working as a School Resource Officer I have had many opportunities to work with our students and see firsthand how amazing these students truly are,” he said. “In my first year as School Resource Officer I started a Criminal ...

The high school’s Criminal Justice Club is sponsoring a rally and walk on Friday to show support for local police. People are asked to meet at the high school at 6 p.m. City Police Officer Butch Bartlett says the club will have markers and other materials so people can make signs in support of the police that they can carry on the walk. The walk starts at 6:30 and will go to Veterans Square, and then back to the high school. Bartlett says there will be a bus at the square for people to warm up, or to ride back to the school. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Bradford woman is accused of assaulting a Bradford City Police officer early Saturday morning. Court records say 24-year-old Kayla Gifford punched Officer Butch Bartlett twice in the face while another person was being arrested by a Bradford Township police officer outside Players Downtown in Bradford, where a fight was going on. Bartlett was trying to clear the crowd when he was assaulted. Gifford is charged with felony aggravated assault, resisting arrest disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. She was sent to McKean County Jail on $50,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Charges against a Bradford woman accused of assaulting her high school-age child have been bound to court. According to court papers, a student at Bradford Area High School heard another student talking about her mother abusing her at home and told School Resource Officer Butch Bartlett about it. Soon after that the victim went to Bartlett's office, where he noticed she had injuries to both of her eyes. Bartlett later learned that her mother, 36-year-old Amy McLaughlin, punched her in the face many times and, at one point, pushed on her eyes, according to court papers. McLaughlin is free on unsecured bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

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...

For the 12th year in a row, the Bradford Area School Board will not be raising taxes. The preliminary budget was introduced and approved during last night’s board meeting. It will be on display in the district office until it’s adopted at next month’s meeting. Also during last night’s meeting, the board tabled a proposal that would hire a second school resource officer for the next school year. Assistant Superintendent Sam Johnson asked the board to put the measure on hold because Bradford City Police Chief Chris Lucco is trying to get grant money to pay the officer’s salary. Current school resource officer Butch Bartlett was at last night’s meeting, and introduced some of the members of the high school’s Criminal Justice Club who recently traveled to Washington, D.C. The students presented a slide show and talked about the highlights of their trip. For more pictures, and video, of the trip you can go to the club's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/BAHS-Criminal-Ju...

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

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

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director The Bradford Area School Board on Monday got updates on school safety procedures and the new high school registration guide. And they got a visit from some former presidents of the United States, too. City of Bradford Police officer Heil “Butch” Bartlett, who is also the school resource officer, explained that before Columbine schools really didn’t have lockdown procedures. After that, he said, schools across the country had to “jump into action” and started adopting lockdown procedures that the prison system used. In the years following Columbine, he said, they learned that normal lockdown procedures from the prison system doesn’t prevent a shooter, or active threat, from getting into the room, so police and schools started changing things. “I’m very proud to say that we’re probably a lot more proactive that any school in the entire area, probably even in the region,” Bartlett said. He said he and school technology director John Petruzzi...