• ‘Anti-climb’ fence to go around Gov’s residence: Tuesday, the state police chief described a barrier as an “anti-climb fence’ to be put up around the Pennsylvania governor’s official residence. This comes less than a month after an intruder jumped the existing fences, broke into the home and started a fire. Col. Christopher Paris’ letter to state lawmakers mentioned the fence as part of a series of adaptations to secure security at the brick mansion that is the Harrisburg home of Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family. Paris does no intend to provide lawmakers with the security review that was conducted by Jeffrey B. Miller, who led the state police about two decades ago. Paris told legislators that Miller’s findings and his agency’s own investigation have changed procedures, including “more frequent security assessments,” the establishment of a uniformed division to oversee building security at the residence and the installation of a no-climb fence. (Source: Fox 43)
• Central Dauphin School District warns parents about TikTok trend: The district is encouraging parents to speak with their students about the consequences of a new TikTok trend. Tuesday, the district issued a warning about the #ChromebookChallenge. It describes students are jamming lead or metal into their Chromebooks’ charging ports or stabbing the batteries in order to purposefully short out the computers, causing them to catch fire. The district alerted parents that families will have to pay damage costs. (Source: CBS 21)
• Trans girls and women banned from school sports as Pa. Senate passes bill: Tuesday the Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill to ban transgender women and girls from joining women’s and girls’ sports teams. Newly sworn in James Malone and five Democrats joined 27 Republicans in voting for it. The legislation, titled Save Women’s Sports Act, would govern child athletics in K-12 public schools and Pennsylvania colleges. The bill defines a person’s “sex” by what they were assigned at birth — strictly male or female, with no consideration for gender. Republicans supporting the bill said it was about protecting the advancement of women’s equality and the guarantees of equality under Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination. Democratic opposition said the bill could result in harm to transgender children and young adults. (Source: LNP)
• Gender-affirming care for children and teens ended at 2 central Pa. hospitals: Penn State Health and western Pennsylvania-based UPMC have implied they will no longer offer gender-affirming care to children and teens following President Donald Trump’s January executive order to end federal funding and support for some types of youth gender-affirming medical treatment. Gender-affirming care includes a range of interventions such as counseling, hormones and surgery, which help align a person’s body or outward appearance with their gender identity. The executive order references the care as “chemical and surgical mutilation,” a term it defines as surgical and hormonal interventions, including treatments that delay puberty. The order defines a “child” as anyone under age 19. The hospitals made their decisions amid a legal hold on the implementation of Trump’s order. (Source: LNP)
• Nation/world: What to know if you don’t have a Real ID (Source: LNP) Democrat’s win in North Carolina Supreme Court race (Source: MSNBC) Pakistan plans retaliation to Indian missile strikes (Source: NBC News) Bidens BBC interview (Source: BBC)
