Aug 4, 2003 4 min read

August 1, 2003 Wow: Readers might recall that in this space a few months ago we worried that the delicious Mallo Cups were headed for the same fate as the beloved Clark bar. Production ceased; shelves were empty. So it was with great delight that we read an Associated Press story this week announcing the Boyer Candy Co. will resume production Monday. Mallow Cups and Smoothies should be back on store shelves by September, in plenty of time to fill up Halloween treat bags.

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Wow: Commissioner Sean Cavanagh has seen the wisdom in waiting before acting. Cavanagh was pressing hard to purchase new voting machines for each of the county’s precincts prior to leaving office at year’s end. We cautioned that it made little sense for the county to move so quickly with an anticipated $1.5 million project without waiting to find out what types of machines the federal and state governments would approve, and before learning if any of the cost would be reimbursed. Cavanagh should be congratulated for seeing the light.

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Wow: Lions, tigers and exotic wild cats that pepper Dr. William Sheperd’s orphanage finally have a permanent safe haven. Dr. Sheperd asked, and the Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board agreed, to have a special exception for his Rankin Air Shaft Road, North Union property to allow him to permanently house the cats. The animals mostly come to the veterinarian after they are rescued from lives of neglect and abuse. The shelter is one of only a dozen or so across the country licensed to handle exotic cats, and periodically the public is invited to visit the cats and learn a little about each of them.

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Scowl: If William D. Pritts hosted gatherings where voices rose in joyful song unto the heavens, perhaps his claim that naming his mountain property the Church of Universal Love and Music would be enough to skirt zoning laws and gain permission on religious grounds to keep the music blaring. But Pritts charges a $20 “donation” at the gate, where many bands (not necessarily those with a religious flavor) perform, and loudly doth the neighbors protest. This week, a district justice fined Pritts for ignoring the county’s warning that he just can’t do this without zoning authorization. And the zoning board turned down his request to have enforcement citations tossed. Pritts needs to rethink whether he wants to continue flouting the law before the Aug. 15 and 16 concert.

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Scowl: Running to court isn’t the best way to solve a battle of political wills. But that is what Connellsville officials felt they were forced to do when the city treasurer failed to submit monthly reports, as they believe he is required to do by law. A hearing set for last week was delayed for 10 days in order for treasurer Arthur J. Cappella Jr. and the mayor and council to come to terms. We can’t figure out why this tiff ever rose to this level or why the treasurer fails to let other elected officials know the status of financial accounts. It’s difficult for any governing body to make decisions without knowing if revenues are coming in as expected.

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Scowl: This might just go down as the most litigious Connellsville council in recent history. City officials have also filed suit against the zoning hearing board because it didn’t like its decision to allow business in what is zoned a residential area but is a high traffic area with mixed uses nearby. Councilman Bruce Jaynes, in voting against other council members chomping to take the ZHB to court, said “it is not in the city’s best interest” to sue its own agency. Well put Mr. Jaynes.

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Scowl: Sixteen ill-stated words and just about as many apologists lining up to take the blame. The top boss, President Bush, this week said he takes full responsibility for telling Congress, Americans and the world that Iraq was shopping for nuclear weapons, when our intelligence agency doubted the report was credible. After more than two weeks of taking hits, the president finally stepped up and said, so to speak, that the buck stopped with him. Meanwhile, we are still waiting for the discovery of those stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons.

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Wow: Frazier School District is showing that small can be mighty. Not long ago, the future appeared bleak for the financially strapped district. Test scores weren’t that great, either. An agressive plan, placing a strong emphasis on building academics and targeting each student was adopted. So far it’s working. The district recently was selected by the International Center for Leadership in Education as a “model school.”