Markie’s Law Bill advances to the full House for consideration

 HARRISBURG – Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) announced today that his legislation which focuses on the parole process for violent offenders in the wake of the 2019 murder of a child in Lawrence County, passed the House Judiciary Committee.

Markie’s Law was named after Mark 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 behind bars.

“I applaud the House Judiciary Committee for approving this legislation,” said Bernstine. “Markie’s Law bill must get over the finish line and signed into law by the governor.”

House Bill 146 would also postpone consideration of a violent inmate’s parole an additional 24 months following the inmate’s minimum release date for each conviction for 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 witness while incarcerated.

“I was dismayed to learn that the perpetrator of this heinous and senseless act was convicted of two separate assaults on other inmates while serving his original sentence. The parole board determined this inmate was not only rehabilitated, but that he no longer posed a risk to the public at the conclusion of his minimum sentence.

“I believe it is undeniable that an inmate’s violent acts while in prison proved that the inmate has not demonstrated the necessary level of commitment to his rehabilitation. He/she continues to represent a threat to the public and the interests of the Commonwealth would be injured by the inmate’s parole at the conclusion of a minimum sentence.”

The bill overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives and the Senate Judiciary Committee during the 2019-20 legislative Session, but was not considered by the full Senate by the end of the session.

Keith Burley, a convicted murderer, was released from prison in March of 2019 after serving 20 years in a robbery/shooting death. After serving his minimum sentence, Burley was arrested in early July in the stabbing death of Mason, who he abducted in a car with his 7-year-old brother during a domestic dispute with the boys’ mother.

House Bill 146 now moves to the full House of Representatives for consideration.

Limits on governor’s disaster authority nears statewide vote
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Senate is advancing a measure to take some emergency management power away from Pennsylvania’s governors as lawmakers struck out at Gov. Tom Wolf’s handling of the pandemic response. The Senate voted, 28-20, in a clash Tuesday that fell largely along partisan lines. Every Republican backed it, while every one of Wolf’s fellow Democrats, except for one, opposed it. Passage by both the House and Senate before Feb. 18 can ensure that it gets on Pennsylvania’s May 18 primary ballot, when it can go to voters for a final decision in a statewide referendum.

Authorities: Man sexually assaulted ‘numerous’ children
RANKIN, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a western Pennsylvania man accused of sexually assaulting several young children recorded the acts and then shared the images and videos with other people. Devaughante Law Sr. faces numerous counts, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, rape and child endangerment. It wasn’t known Wednesday if the 27-year-old Rankin man has retained an attorney. Law was arrested Tuesday afternoon by Allegheny County police. Authorities did not disclose details about the investigation that led to the arrest, but they noted that some of the “numerous children” Law allegedly assaulted were toddlers and infants. Some of the victims have not yet been identified, and authorities say there may be more victims.

Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) today presented poll results to the Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council (CNRAC) indicating four out of five Pennsylvanians who visited parks and trails believe that time spent outdoors is essential to their physical and mental health during the pandemic.

“The poll results confirm what we have been seeing with our visitation numbers – that Pennsylvanians are turning to the outdoors for healthy activity and solace during the challenging times of the pandemic,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “That interest in the outdoors also has a positive impact on our economy and small businesses, as people try new activities and purchase the related gear.”

Survey questions in a Lion Poll conducted by the Center for Survey Research at Penn State Harrisburg of 1,001 Pennsylvanians during fall 2020 indicate:

• Eighty-six percent of those who visited parks, trails or open spaces agree time spent in these areas has been essential to their mental and/or physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Seventy-five percent agree that funding outdoor recreation facilities, such as parks, trails, and open spaces, should be considered a top priority by state and local governments.
• Thirty-seven percent of respondents said their interest in learning new outdoor recreation hobbies/skills increased since the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic began.

Related to the economic impact of outdoor recreation, respondents indicated:

• About one out of five tried a new outdoor recreation activity.
• One out of five bought outdoor recreation equipment, gear or clothing. Of those who answered yes, 42 percent spent $50-$249 dollars, almost 17 percent spent $250 to $499, 10 percent spent $500-$749, and about five percent spent $1,000 or more.
• About half visited a local trail or park.

Pennsylvania state park and forest lands have remained open and accessible to all during the pandemic for outdoor recreation because of their importance to mental and physical health. State park attendance increased from 37 million in 2019 to more than 46.9 million in 2020, a 26.6 percent increase.

DCNR saw an increase of 7.5 million users/visits to its website in 2020 over the previous year, including more than 4 million new users.

During the council meeting, CNRAC members also heard presentations from the directors of the bureaus of State Parks and Forestry about the impacts to state parks and forests during the pandemic and changes they anticipate will be needed to address sustained interest in these lands.

To help avoid exposure to COVID-19 and still enjoy the outdoors:

• Don’t hike or recreate in groups – go with those under the same roof, and adhere to social distancing (stay 6 feet apart)
• Avoid crowded parking lots and trailheads
• Bring a bag and either carry out your trash or dispose of it properly
• Clean up after pets
• Avoid activities that put you at greater risk of injury, so you don’t require a trip to the emergency room
• Take hand sanitizer with you and use it regularly
• Avoid touching your face, eyes, and nose
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with a tissue or flexed elbow
• If you are sick, stay home

Find more information about Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council on the DCNR website.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Hopewell Twp., Pa.) At last night’s meeting Hopewell Commissioners accepted the retirements of Donald Swan and Jack Mcnally from the road department .Swan’s retirement is effective April 2, 2021, and McNally’s is effective February.22, 2021.

The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from January 18 – 24, 2021. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants, including social distancing, masking and occupancy limits.

These numbers include actions taken during routine food safety inspections and inspections prompted by consumer complaints.

From January 18 – 24, 2021, the department’s Bureau of Food Safety performed 600 inspections, 33 of which were complaint-driven. All 33 complaints were related to COVID-19 mitigation measures. The department received 236 food facility COVID-19 related complaints, five of which were referred to local and county health jurisdictions.

Inspectors closed three restaurants by order after each was confirmed to be violating the Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health for Mitigation and Enforcement and Order of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for Mitigation, Enforcement and Immunity Protections issued November 27, 2020 and refused to make corrections while the inspector was present.

In Beaver County there were 14 inspections conducted. One of the Inspections was complaint driven and there were zero establishments shutdown for not following orders during the week.

Keystone State News Connection

Biden Orders Put Climate Front and Center

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. – President Joe Biden today is to sign a number of executive orders, directives and memoranda ramping up his administration’s focus on fighting climate change.

The actions include a ban on new oil and gas drilling on federal land, a task force to create a government-wide action plan to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, and new commissions focused on environmental justice and green job creation.

According to Rabbi Daniel Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, the moves reflect an understanding that the climate, economic growth and environmental harms to communities of color are all connected.

“There’s a recognition that you have to be thinking about climate not just in one particular place but across agencies,” he said, “and there’s a recognition of this crucial problem of environmental justice.”

The state’s Department of Environmental Protection has said Pennsylvania is getting warmer and rainier as a result of climate change, affecting agriculture and other industries. However, oil-and-gas producers and some landowners have said curtailing fossil-fuel extraction will be harmful to the economy.

The president also is directing the federal government to conserve 30% of all federal land and water by the end of the decade, a move Schwartz said will contribute to both climate mitigation and environmental justice.

“By intelligently conserving large swaths of land,” he said, “we can make our environment more stable, more resilient, and also benefit human communities that have been underserved.”

At least 50 countries have committed to a proposal to protect 30% of the earth’s surface by 2030 that was released by the United Nations in January 2020.

Environmental groups are concerned that regulatory processes can’t accomplish the large reductions in carbon emissions that are needed. And Schwartz pointed out that executive orders easily can be overturned by a change in administrations.

“We have to move these to legislation and not just executive orders,” he said, “but the executive order is, at least, a good jump-start.”

Biden also is expected to restore an Obama-era memorandum, eliminated by the Trump administration, that makes climate change a national security priorit