Jun 14, 2002 5 min read

Scowl: Not to belabor the point that Laurel Highlands School Board appears fiscally irresponsible in that it quickly ran up nearly $3 million in debt, but… At its first meeting after a judge granted permission to hit up property owners for this mismanagement, the board huddled to discuss cutting expenses. Instead the board voted to buy new French and Spanish textbooks at the insistence of administrators without having a clue as to how much they will cost. This is exactly the kind of actions that lead to deficit spending.

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Wow: It’s a disgusting job, and they don’t have to do it. But scores of volunteers on Saturday will scour area rivers and creeks picking up the trash dumped along the banks.

It’s bad enough when visitors leave behind their trash but some places have turned into disgusting dumps that foul the water.

One of the volunteers John Piwowar spoke of one such site near his farm. “We have toilets, refrigerators, mattresses – it’s terrible.” Advance kudos to all who will join in the effort to remove the trash.

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Scowl: So it wasn’t deadly black mold as Controller Mark Roberts thought, nor was it merely dust as Commissioner Sean Cavanagh proffered.

But something was making employees of the controller’s office ill, and the county had an obligation to determine what it was and take steps to remove the offending allergen.

No one disagreed with this, so once again it is perplexing that this has all turned into a donnybrook with Roberts and Cavanagh practicing one-up-manship with nasty barbs.

Boys, if you’re old enough to knot your tie correctly and run for public office then you’re old enough to start acting mature. Grow up, already.

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Wow: Masontown is attempting to renew community spirit by reviving a Fourth of July street fair.

Small town festivities are a great way for people to mingle in a relaxed atmosphere, indulge in good eating, and renew acquaintances.

Those who want to help organize the fair should stop by the borough building tonight at 6 p.m.

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Wow: Throughout this week Herald-Standard readers have been getting to know some of the area’s outstanding recent high school graduates.

Those who read the sports pages have met students who excelled in both athletics and academics from each of the county’s school systems.

Each year the newspaper co-sponsors the student athlete scholarship program.

This year Davis & Davis law firm joined the partnership to honor and recognize these talented students who have made their families and fans proud.

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Scowl: A top official with the General Accounting Office testified this week that the Social Security Administration has spend $39 million in the last seven years to test and implement initiatives to improve timeliness and accuracy of disability decisions and another $71 million to develop an automated disability claims process.

Yet more cases are backlogged now than ever and the system is facing a meltdown. Part of the problem is that many cases are turned down initially only to be won years later on appeal. Perhaps better initial decisions are called for.

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Wow: Greensburg Diocese Bishop Anthony Bosco has continued to shine a bright light into the darkest corners of the church’s recent crisis of priests accused of sexual contact with youth.

Earlier this week, on the eve of the U.S. Conference of Bishops meeting, Bosco held a local press conference to say that he believes that priests should be fired if an allegation of sexual misconduct is found to be credible. Bosco has not shied away from the topic as some bishops across the U.S. have and he has kept the public and his flock informed.

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Wow: An interesting comment was made during a Fayette County tourism summit held earlier this week. Barb Gibel of Fay-Penn Economic Development Council said that Fayette attracts 3.6 million visitors each year but that surveys show we aren’t “visitor friendly,” which leaves people less than satisfied with their trip here.

The comment is interesting in that it is an acknowledgment of a shortcoming that not only those involved directly in a tourism business – such as Ohiopyle, Fallingwater or rails to trails – need to hear, but everyone, including gas station attendants who are asked for directions can work to change.

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Scowl: It’s understandable that Dawson wants to crack down on vandalism that has plagued the river community for some time.

And as incidents heat up in summertime, kids running the streets are generally blamed for the damage. But council might have gone too far in adopting a 9:30 p.m. curfew for the summer.

While that might be a great lights-out time for an 11- or 12-year-old, it might not be so reasonable for a 17-year-old boy walking home from his girlfriend’s house or a part-time job. The curfew makes no distinction between kids hanging out and looking for mischief and those who are just hanging out. At 9:30 police will start writing citations that will impose fines upon parents.

Council should give this curfew more thought.