Wows and Scowls
Scowl: A school board in Lebanon County this week banned a series of textbooks from seventh- and eighth-grade reading classes because they contained stories about black holes, the “Big Bang” theory, global warming, cloning and stem-cell research, and they didn’t contain stories that discuss creationism. Why not supplement the textbooks with that material, rather than censor theories and ideas necessary to instill a broad education in students?
Earlier this year the school board yanked a book from the library because it contained profanity. The school board also ordered that a book of Japanese poetry could only be checked out by students with a permission slip.
The heavy hand of censorship is applied liberally in the Annville-Cleona School District.
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Scowl: Fast-food customers aren’t getting a valuable bargain when they opt to super size a meal for pennies more.
What they are buying is loads of extra fat and calories.
A report released this week by the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity, a coalition of groups that promote health and fitness, found that biggie sizes pack a wallop of calories.
This could be contributing to the fact that 60 percent of adults are overweight, and an estimated 300,000 die each year from illnesses caused or worsened by excessive weight. Not to mention the growing problem of obese kids who can now, at some restaurants, place orders for super-size kids’ meals.
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Wow: Cooperation and communication will most likely be the key in moving a developer’s plan forward for the former Point Marion School that will benefit the elderly. Dewey Stillwagon told borough council that he plans to not only convert the second floor into about a dozen apartments but that a health club is in the works.
Anyone, including seniors, who engages in a regular exercise program reaps the benefits of better health. Stillwagon has some good ideas and apparently the backing to carry them forward. Also in his favor is a willingness to keep the community informed of the project.
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Wow: A sight that often assaults the eyes is that of a vacant shopping center or mall, with weeds growing through cracks in the parking lot pavement and little activity at what was once a vibrant hub of the local economy, while at the same time new stores crop up just a few miles down the road.
In recent years the Laurel Mall property has fallen on hard times, and none hit harder than when Montgomery Wards went out of business.
An announcement came this week that on Sunday a new Shop ‘n Save store will open in the old Wards location.
We congratulate the store’s owners Tom and Debbie Jamieson for finding a new use for an old building.
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Scowl: With just one week left in June, state lawmakers have failed to negotiate and adopt a budget for the coming fiscal year that starts July 1.
The trickle down effect hits local school districts the hardest as school boards must know the amount of state subsidies in order to adopt their own budgets.
Several districts meeting this week, had to delay adopting budgets rather than hike taxes and then find out it wasn’t necessary once the state has a budget.
One thing is certain, Pennsylvania will still fail to fund its share of education. Many districts have already made deep cuts in programs and personnel.
A casualty in the Albert Gallatin School District that is particularly painful is the elimination of the Read to Succeed program that offered the chance to turn marginal students into success stories.
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Wow: Congratulations to Uniontown for finally adopting a long-awaited comprehensive plan that will guide the city.
Now it is up to city council to follow through with all the information that was gathered during the process and listen to what residents had to say during neighborhood meetings.
They asked for measures to make absentee landlords take better care of neglected properties, which can be handled through code enforcement. They also asked for tot lots and playgrounds within walking distances of neighborhoods.
During the process of collecting input, many residents expressed a willingness to work with city officials in improving their neighborhoods. Council needs to continue these conversations and get to work on some small, inexpensive projects that will show that the plan is one that will be used rather than become a dust collector.
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Scowl: It’s a shame that it had to come down to this. County Commissioners Ron Nehls and Sean Cavanagh, with good reason, ousted Washington Township Democratic committeeman Joseph Malaspina from the Voter Integrity Board.
Malaspina came under scrutiny in the spring when he circulated petitions for other candidates, a violation of the strictest reading of election code. Even if Malaspina didn’t know this was wrong, the incident taints his involvement on the Voter Integrity Board that by its very name implies that members’ actions should be held to the highest standard.
Malaspina should have tendered his resignation without causing the public showdown.