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Wows & Scowls

3 min read

Wow: A little creative sentencing had a Point Marion man wearing a huge sandwich sign at a busy South Union Township intersection Thursday, informing scads of passing motorists that animal cruelty is a crime. Ulysses Zimmerman, who said he couldn’t pay the fines in connection with the death of a dog, reportedly agreed to the alternative sentence devised by humane officer Robin Moore. Scowl: The growth of digital cameras may be removing iconoclastic Eastman Kodak Co. from the corporate landscape, as the New York-based film company announced the loss of 10,000 jobs, which follows 12,000 to 15,000 layoffs just 18 months ago. What’s happening at Kodak is proof that in an ever-changing economy, there are winners and losers. Digital imaging is the culprit here.

Scowl: How much longer will the concert-loving Church of Universal Love and Music saga drag on? William Pritts plans to have 11 bands perform on his 147-acre Bullskin Township spread, which is zoned agricultural-rural and hasn’t gotten the special exception from the Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board needed to host such events. Cited numerous times since 2002 for holding concerts on the property, Pritts apparently has no intention of letting those pieces of paper stop him. The long-running scenario has made a serious joke out of the code enforcement process. What good is having an ordinance if it isn’t or can’t be enforced?

Wow: The long-awaited Wal-Mart Supercenter has opened in Dunbar Township, where supervisors envision the coffers swelling with real estate tax dollars and a possible duplication of the exponential growth that’s taken place in South Union Township in the vicinity of a sister Wal-Mart. While some may lament the presence of yet another Wal-Mart in the county, the truth is that is today’s ultra-competitive economy, the addition of any jobs, anywhere, must be viewed as a positive thing. Economic times are changing – and we won’t automatically agree that overall it’s for the better – but we have little choice but to change with them.

Scowl: Pennsylvania voters don’t have the ability to over-ride their lawmakers by asking for a statewide ballot question, something that exists in 24 other states. That’s nearly half of the states in the union. The legislature should act to rectify this oversight – but there’s a better chance of the region’s coal mines and steel mills reopening that of that happening. It’s just another indication of the backwardness that exists in the Keystone State. And don’t look to Gov. Ed Rendell to lead this charge. But he is looking to make boosting the minimum wage his top fall priority, citing the fact that 17 other states have acted to boost their minimum wage above the $5.15-per-hour federal standard. Hey, Ed, more states than that make their legislature’s spending open to the public. When are you going to lead that charge?

Wow: Pennsylvania has finally gotten around to mandating that district attorneys in most counties, including Fayette, be considered and paid as full-time employees. That’s really what they were, anyway, and the move eliminates the potential for conflicts of interest from them practicing law on the side. But the bad news is that the county remains responsible for 45 percent of their salaries, which shoot to $141,675 when the recently enacted round of state pay hikes takes effect. So you’ll help pay for this progress.

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