(File Photo)

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today to a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Kenneth Grayson, 53, of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder.
According to court documents, Grayson attended a rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, and then walked towards the Capitol, where he illegally entered the grounds. He then approached the Capitol Building. Law enforcement officers were attempting to prevent people from entering.
Grayson entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing doors at approximately 2:20 p.m. and proceeded to the Crypt. He also entered the Rotunda area, where a mob of rioters began standing in front of a row of law enforcement officers. The mob began pushing against officers to gain access to the adjoining hall. Grayson joined the rear of this group that began pushing into the officers.
While he was inside the Capitol, Grayson live-streamed video on his Facebook account. He exited the Capitol at approximately 3:07 p.m.
Grayson was arrested on Jan. 26, 2021, in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. He is to be sentenced on Dec. 19, 2022. He faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Capitol Police.
In the 20 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 870 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 265 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

(File photo of Rep. Bernstine from previous appearance on Beaver County Radio)

(HARRISBURG , Pa.) Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) announced today that his legislation, which focuses on the parole process for violent offenders, is on its way to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk.

House Bill 146, or Markie’s Law, was named after Markie Mason, an 8-year-old boy who was brutally stabbed to death by a man who was paroled at the end of his minimum sentence for homicide, even after committing two separate assaults of other inmates while in prison.

“Markie’s Law must get over the finish line and signed into law by the governor,” said Bernstine. “This bill would keep the most dangerous inmates from a premature release in order to protect and serve our Commonwealth residents and would have saved Mark’s life.”

The bill would postpone consideration of a violent inmate’s parole an additional 24 months following the inmate’s minimum release date for each conviction of a violent offense while incarcerated. In addition, it would suspend consideration of an inmate’s parole an additional 12 months if the inmate attempts to escape, smuggles contraband, or retaliates or intimidates witnesses while incarcerated.

Keith Burley, a convicted murderer, was released from prison in March 2019 after serving 20 years in a robbery/shooting death. Burley was arrested four months later in the stabbing death of Mason, who he abducted in a car with his 7-year-old brother during a domestic dispute.

The parole board determined that Burley was not only rehabilitated, but also that he no longer posed a risk to the public at the conclusion of his minimum sentence.

“Markie’s Law will hold inmates accountable for their actions while incarcerated,” said Bernstine. “Individuals such as Burley are a danger to society, and the death of Markie Mason is a clear and tragic example of that.”

(File Photo)

Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News
(Center Twp., Beaver County, Pa.)  The Center Township Board of Supervisors met on Monday night and authorized the township secretary, Rachael Deltondo,  to look into the costs to digitize documents and maps. The new system would save space.

Township Chairman Bill DicCioccio,Jr. said the supervisors received an update from Township Engineer Ned Mitrovich on the road work being done behind the Beaver Valley Mall.

Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News
(Ohioville, Pa.) Ohioville Assistant Police Chief Eric Cain reported Wednesday morning that police and firefighters were dispatched to 345 Lisbon Road Tuesday afternoon at 12:25 p.m. and upon arrival discovered that the resident was attempting to remove  a tire from its rim and the tire exploded.  The resident declined medical attention for some scratches. The garage also suffered extensive damage.

(Photo of Acting Secretary of State Leigh M. Chapman marked National Voter Registration Day by reminding Pennsylvanians that the deadline to register to vote in the November election is Oct. 24 and by visiting three college campuses to encourage students to register to vote. ..In visits to Montgomery County Community College, Lincoln University in Chester County and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster County, Chapman discussed how to register to vote with students, some of whom will be voting for the first time in the Nov. 8 election.) (Photo courtesy of Pa Commonwealth Media Services)

(Harrisburg, Pa.) Acting Secretary of State Leigh M. Chapman marked National Voter
Registration Day today by reminding Pennsylvanians that the deadline to register to vote in the November election is Oct. 24 and by visiting three college campuses to encourage students to register to vote.
“Census data show that 1.7 million Pennsylvanians are eligible to vote but are not registered to do so,” Chapman said. “I encourage every one of those eligible Pennsylvania voters to take a few minutes to register online before the Oct. 24 deadline. Exercise your fundamental right to vote, and let your voice be heard in our next election.”
In visits to Montgomery County Community College, Lincoln University in Chester County and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster County, Chapman discussed how to register to vote with students, some of whom will be voting for the first time in the Nov. 8 election.
To be eligible to register to vote, Pennsylvanians must be:
• A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the election,
• A resident of Pennsylvania and the election district (municipality or precinct) in which the individual desires to register and vote for at least 30 days before the election, and
• At least 18 years of age on or before the date of the election.
Pennsylvanians who are already registered to vote can check their registration status online and update their voter record with changes such as name or address.
Chapman also reminded Pennsylvanians that Nov. 1 is the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot.
To ensure their mail ballot is received before the 8 p.m. Nov. 8 deadline, voters should apply for their mail ballot today, complete the ballot when they receive it and return it to their county elections board right away.
The Department of State’s website at vote.pa.gov offers a Ready to Vote toolkit and Resource Center where Pennsylvanians can find a wealth of information, such as:
• a polling place locator,
• contact information for county boards of election,
• video demonstrations of the voting system used in each county,
• voter registration forms,
• information on mail-in and absentee voting, and
• printer-friendly voter education materials.
In addition to registering online, eligible Pennsylvanians can register to vote by mail or in person at many locations, including:
• their county voter registration office,
• county assistance offices,
• Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program offices,
• PennDOT photo and drivers’ license centers,
• Armed Forces recruitment centers,
• county clerk of orphans’ courts or marriage license offices,
• Area Agencies on Aging,
• county mental health and intellectual disabilities offices,
• student disability services offices of the State System of Higher Education,
• offices of special education in high schools, and
• Americans with Disabilities Act-mandated complementary paratransit providers.
An executive order signed by Gov. Tom Wolf earlier this month designates the following seven state agencies and programs as Voter Registration Distribution Agencies that must provide voter registration materials and information to their clients:
• Department of State at public Bureau of Elections, Bureau of Professional and
Occupational Affairs, and Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
locations,
• Department of Agriculture at events at the Farm Show Complex,
• Department of Conservation and Natural Resources at 121 state park office locations,
• Department of Corrections in connection with Bureau of Community Corrections
services,
• Department of Education at library locations,
• Labor and Industry programs at CareerLink offices, and
• Department of Military and Veterans Affairs at state veterans homes.
The executive order also designated September as Voter Registration Month in Pennsylvania.
The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) established September as National
Voter Registration Month in 2002 as a non-partisan means of encouraging voter participation and increasing awareness of state voting requirements and election deadlines.

On a packed hump-day edition of A.M. Beaver County, Matt Drzik will talk to Lincoln Park’s Producing Artistic Director–Justin Fortunato–as Lincoln Park opens its Highmark Subscription Series of Shows in just a couple of weeks as “Into The Woods” premieres on October 7. The preview comes at 8:10 tomorrow morning.

Following the 8:30 news, Drs. Shawn Richey and Jared Yevins of Tri-State Neuropathy in Beaver join Matt in studio to talk about the ways in which neuropathy can be discovered and treated, before the pain and numbing take hold.

Also, another chance to win Pirates tickets in our “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” trivia contest, as a four-pack of tickets to Sunday’s game at PNC Park between Pittsburgh and Chicago could be yours courtesy of Aliquippa Giant Eagle and Beaver County Radio!

Frank Sparks starts the morning with local news at 6:30 on Beaver County Radio.