WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’ll pardoned Susan B. Anthony, a leader in the women’s suffrage movement, who was arrested for voting in 1872 in violation of laws permitting only men to vote. Anthony was arrested for voting in her hometown of Rochester, New York, and convicted in a widely publicized trial. Although she refused to pay the fine, the authorities declined to take further action. Trump says he’ll issue the pardon later Tuesday. That’s 100 years after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which ensures the right of women to vote and which is named for Anthony.

HARRISBURG-Attorney General Josh Shapiro alerted school districts today they are required to maintain criminal history background checks from the statewide child abuse database after a recent investigation revealed local districts may not be following Pennsylvania law.

“In the course of a criminal investigation, we learned that some public schools in Pennsylvania may not be properly checking the statewide child abuse database and maintaining records for every employee,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “The law requires that school districts check and keep these records because we need them to help keep children safe. We shared our findings with every district as a warning call so that Pennsylvania children are better protected in the future.”

State law requires that school districts obtain a clearance from the statewide child abuse database, and consult the Pennsylvania State Police and FBI for criminal history information on all school employees and volunteers. Every district is also required to maintain this information without exception.

“Our children look to their teachers, principals, coaches and school secretaries with respect and trust, and districts need to show they have performed their due diligence to uphold that trust and protect their students,” Attorney General Shapiro said in the letter sent to all Pennsylvanian School Districts. “My office works every day to uphold the law, and Title 23 is one law that cannot be ignored. It must be followed and this is why I’ve sent this letter to our 500 districts.”

Regardless of education, training or background, Shapiro said any employee or volunteer within Pennsylvania’s schools must submit the appropriate clearances to the schools and those schools must maintain all required clearances as mandated by law.

“Exceptions to this requirement should not be made for anyone – police officers, judges, attorneys, doctors, elected officials, clergy or anyone who serves in a position of authority or trust are not entitled to special exception. The law applies to everyone equally,” the Attorney General said.

Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Daniel J. Dye is leading this effort within the Office of Attorney General.

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

Last night Center Township’s Board of Supervisors adopted a DROP ordinance for a police pension for a 1 year term. Terms and conditions of the pension will be established, according to the supervisors.

INDUSTRY – Rep. Jim Marshall (R-Beaver/Butler) today announced a more than $226,000 grant has been awarded to replace storm sewer pipes along Lindsay Drive and south of Darlington Avenue in Patterson Township. The project will address flooding concerns within the area.

“This grant will help to protect residential properties that are being impacted during storms. It will also strengthen the system for everyone who uses it by better protecting it against the impact of storms,” Marshall said.

After a hydraulic analysis, it was observed that there were only a few inlets along the project route which would not have the capacity to capture the overland flow that is draining onto Lindsay Drive. This is resulting with the runoff bypassing the existing storm sewer system and washing out residents’ property. Additionally, the existing storm system does not have capacity to convey the runoff delivered from the watershed during a one-year storm event.

The funding will be used to install 1,010 linear feet of storm sewer pipe, add nine additional inlets and three new manholes. Once completed, the new storm sewer system will be able to withstand a 100-year storm.

The total cost of the project is $266,034.

The grant was awarded through the CFA and its Small Water and Sewer Grants program. The program awards grants to municipalities and municipal authorities for water, sewer, storm water and flood control projects with a cost of not less than $30,000 and not more than $500,000.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling the House back into session this week to vote on a bill prohibiting the U.S. Postal Service from changing its operations or level of service. Her decision comes amid growing concerns that the Trump White House is trying to undermine the agency during the coronavirus pandemic as states expand mail-in voting options. The legislation would prohibit the Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations or level of service it had in place on Jan. 1. A vote could come next Saturday. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, says he’s not recalling senators to Washington.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania plans to launch a coronavirus exposure-notification app in early September in an effort to more quickly break chains of transmission by using the new technology to notify people who may have been exposed. Officials told The Associated Press on Monday that the app was developed by NearForm Ltd, the Ireland-based company whose app there has been downloaded by more than one-fourth of that country’s residents. The app is based on smartphone technology developed by Apple and Google, and will undergo a pilot project next week, using state government employees and public health students, staff and faculty. It’s use will be limited to people 18 and over.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The group that oversees Pennsylvania school sports is signaling again that it’s seriously considering moving ahead with the fall season despite the governor’s recommendation that schools bail on athletics until 2021. Melissa Mertz, associate executive director of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, said Monday in a radio interview that “we feel fairly confident that we can get school sports up and running.” The PIAA board plans to make a final decision on fall sports when it meets Friday. The administration of Gov. Tom Wolf says that youth sports increase the risk of spreading the virus and should be canceled for now.

HARRISBURG – In response to a Right to Know Law request filed by Rep. Seth Grove (R-Dover) after the governor’s “strong recommendation” that interscholastic and club sports be cancelled until January 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) confirmed there is no supporting data to justify their recommendation.

“The fact that data was not used to make the recommendation by the governor to cancel sports this upcoming semester begs the question about what other policies from the governor were made without any data or science to support them? This is exactly why it was so important for Act 77 to become law and likely why the governor strongly opposed and wanted to veto the measure,” Grove said. “Pennsylvanians deserve to know the data and science being used to create policies that impact the lives of millions of residents. They shouldn’t be forced to blindly follow a leader who appears to create policy unilaterally on a whim.”

House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) argued the lack of data and justification shows why already-introduced legislation is necessary.

“From the beginning of this pandemic, the Wolf administration has been making decisions that impact the lives and livelihoods of thousands of Pennsylvanians without involving the people’s representatives in the legislature and without concern for the unintended consequences of wide-ranging and inconsistent orders, guidance, and recommendations. Thanks to the strong work of Rep. Grove, we now know that the administration has made the unilateral decision to strongly recommend the cancellation of fall sports without the Department of Health having any corresponding data to justify their decision,” said Benninghoff.

“The legislation being offered by Representative Reese and Representative Topper will ensure that these decisions can truly be made on the local level. I thank Chairman Sonney for agreeing to bring these bills up for a vote to ensure they can be presented to the caucus swiftly upon our return. The House Republican Caucus stands united in standing up for the safety of all Pennsylvanians as we learn to live with this virus.”

Chairman of the House Education Committee Curt Sonney (R-Erie) noted the Reese and Topper bills will be considered on Thursday.

“As chairman of the House Education Committee, I have held several hearings where we have heard from stakeholders and school districts on the importance of reopening schools for our students this fall,” said Sonney. “Sports and extracurricular activities are a huge part of every student’s academic career and are vital for their mental and social development. Postponing fall sports for our students will create more harm than good. Students need to be in school and be involved in school activities. That’s why we are acting quickly to get these bills moved through committee.”

Rep. Mike Reese (R-Westmoreland), a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Oversight Committee, said his legislation to give local control over whether to start fall sports is important to ensure those wishing to do so can return to sports safely.

“The governor’s announcement to stop all high school sports until January 1 came as a complete shock to students, parents and even PIAA officials,” said Reese. “Study after study shows that students who are involved in sports and extracurricular activities thrive better in the classroom and develop crucial life skills like self-discipline, leadership, and teamwork. Taking fall sports away from our students means taking away the opportunity for them to hone and develop these skills. My legislation would simply allow the local school districts to make decisions regarding sports–not the legislature and not the governor. It’s about giving power to the schools to make the best decision for their students and communities.”

Rep. Jesse Topper (R-Bedford), who has introduced legislation to empower parents of students and student athletes to have their children repeat a year of school should they feel they missed an important athletic or educational opportunity, underscored the lack of DOH data as a reason for his legislation.

“Students must be given opportunities to fulfill their dreams and pursue their passions. House Bill 2788 would give students and families the option to continue a child’s academic and extracurricular activities for an additional year should those options not be available for the upcoming school year,” Topper said “In light of the revelation that no data was used by the governor in regards to his recommendation to cancel school sports, it would seem as though there is no logical reason that our kids shouldn’t be afforded these opportunities.”

Rep. Mike Peifer (R-Pike/Wayne), who is also on the PIAA Oversight Committee, noted he is proud to support Reps. Reese and Topper in their legislation.

“Our local community leaders were tasked with the challenge of creating a school safety plan to allow for fall sports engagements and in-class learning, and they deserve the right to be heard,” said Peifer. “Reps. Jesse Topper and Mike Reese address the need for fall sports and activities decisions to fall under the power of our local school districts through legislation that they introduced last week. I am proud to be a cosponsor for these much needed bills and firmly believe that these specific decisions are best made at the local level where our school leaders can best dictate what would work best for their students, staff, and community.”

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic has slammed the brakes on this year’s Philly Naked Bike Ride. The annual event usually draws thousands of nude cyclists for a trip around Philadelphia and its tourist sites. It had been set for Aug. 29. But organizers who’d been gearing up for it said Friday the city’s COVID-19 cases made them halt their planning. They say canceling this year’s event “is the most responsible thing to do.” But they have a message for would-be naked riders eager to break free of their home lockdowns: They hope to be back riding next year.