Wows and Scowls
Wow: Behold the power of duct tape. Our favorite handy-dandy tool is now making its mark in the medical world. The October issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine reports that duct tape can successfully remove warts. Researchers aren’t sure if there is anything special about the characteristics of duct tape that plays into wart removal or if other kinds of tape would work just as well. Having unscientifically experimented a bit with substituting other tape when duct tape was unavailable, we would pocket the money for additional research and come down firmly on the side of duct tape’s superior qualities. —
Scowl: The mother of an Albert Gallatin High School student worries that kids feel unsafe in their school. Uniontown High School prepares to take extra precautions today because of a written bomb threat. Brownsville Area High School goes into a lockdown when shots are heard outside the building. Each of these incidents have a different genesis but illustrate that parents and students still worry about the safety of schools despite increasing steps taken by school board to hire more police, install cameras and enact further safety measures. They also point out the need for schools to continue evaluating safety rather than presume it’s covered. In the Albert Gallatin case the son of the mother lodging the complaint was badly injured at the school. School board members whose children also attend the schools said they didn’t believe there was a problem. This could be addressed by looking further into the woman’s complaint. Was this an unprovoked attack or the result of a fight? Are incidents of fighting on the rise, about the same or have they decreased? Uniontown could have attempted to keep the bomb threat a secret. Instead it chose to announce precautions it would take and leave it up to parents to decide whether their children would attend school. Bomb threats used to be dismissed as frivolous pranks. Now they are taken seriously. In doing so, does this instill fear where none is warranted? The gunfire at Brownsville is presumed to have come from nearby property that hosts weekend shoots. Did someone unauthorized enter the grounds during school hours to target practice? Can the school work with the neighbor to ensure the private shooting range doesn’t disrupt the public school?
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Scowl: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that 18 months after Allegheny County Council adopted a tough ethics code, council has yet to appoint an ethics commission or enforce any of the provisions. The code requires county officials to annually disclose any gifts received with a $100 or more value and prevents them from hiring relatives. The unenforced code is nothing more than worthless symbolic values.
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Wow: Illinois Gov. George Ryan continues to set a standard that other states need to emulate. A marathon series of clemency hearings began this week in which that state is reviewing the cases of nearly every death row inmate. The hearings came in the wake from the 2000 review of the state’s capital cases that found the system fraught with errors after 13 inmates were found to be wrongly convicted. Other death penalty states, including Pennsylvania, have refused to take a serious look at their systems.
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Wow: The Fayette County Airport Authority took an important step this week to continue with plans to expand the airport by agreeing to start the environmental studies. The airport has recently hired consultants experienced in airports and transportation and is making steady progress that will eventually lead to the lengthening of the runway.
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Wow: Congratulations to Greene County for the successful restoration of its first courthouse, a log building constructed in 1797. Two centuries had taken its toll on the courthouse. Working with a budget of $150,000, that was supplemented by community donations, and the expertise of historical restorationist Terry Cole, the project was pulled off. Interestingly just six of the original logs were severely damaged and in need of replacement. A gathering celebrated the achievement yesterday, and the Cornerstone Genealogical Society plans to move in soon and begin hosting tours on weekday afternoons.
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Scowl: Usually when things go missing from municipal parks, errant kids are to blame. But the theft of a sign from Connellsville’s East Park erected in memory of former city clerk William Hughes has more the feel of vindictiveness. Hughes, a former city councilman, who changed careers midlife after finishing college took on the role of city clerk. Soon after leaving Connellsville for a better position, he suddenly died of a heart attack. There were those who were big fans of Hughes’ work and methods and those who didn’t care for him. But undeniably, he looked out for Connellsville’s best interest and was instrumental in finding the funds to renovate East Park. When completed recently Councilwoman Chris Wagner unveiled a wooden, engraved sign (purchased through private donations) rededicating the park as a tribute to Hughes. A subsequent effort by Wagner to name the pavilion in Hughes’ memory failed to pass council. Then the sign turned up missing. It wasn’t as though it was ripped from the wall, rather deliberately taken apart. It’s a shame that even when death ends disputes, some folks in Connellsville can’t let go of grudges.