Wows and Scowls
Wow: The infamous Mather gob pile is on its way to being a memory, as a massive slate dump reclamation project chips away at its stature on the Greene County landscape. Although much of the refuse will remain on site, it’s being contoured and seeded so as to be less of an eyesore. —
Wow: Pennsylvania is considering a proposal that would legalize Sunday hunting, which has been banned since 1873. While a related study focuses on the economic impact of lifting the ban, which it pegs at $322 million, such modernization would also be apropos for today’s busier lifestyles. Hunters who can’t afford to take time off from work from Monday through Friday could see their time in the field double, from one day to two. It’s a change worth considering. Plus, Pennsylvania is one of only nine states that currently ban Sunday hunting.
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Scowl: The Uniontown Area School Board plans to raise taxes by 1.4 mills, using the time-honored fallback position that no other option exists. What does a 1.4-mill tax hike mean? It means a 11.1 percent property tax increase. For every $10,000 of assessed value, the school district is upping its take from $125.20 to $139.20. For the owner of a property assessed at $50,000, school taxes go from $626 to $696. We wonder how many property owners are getting 11 percent salary increases this year?
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Wow: Some residents of Upper Tyrone Township, population 2,200, want to cooperate with neighboring Everson Borough, population 1,000, on a joint police force that would bring that service into the township. They believe such a jointure would help the new department apply for additional state and federal grants. Such regionalization may be the best way to get a particular service to those who don’t have it, and to keep it for those who do. More of Fayette County’s 42 municipalities should examine working with each other, particularly in providing police protection.
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Scowl: According to the Los Angeles Times, a lobbying firm represented by a brother of U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown), whose district encompasses Fayette and Greene counties, helped at least 10 companies get federal defense contracts worth $20.8 million. While there may be nothing illegal or unethical in the connection, it’s hard to believe that the family ties played no role. After all, Murtha is the top-ranking Democrat on the House defense appropriations subcommittee, and his stature there has steered numerous projects to his district.
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Wow: The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg decided to keep All Saints School in Masontown open, after a group of parents lobbied hard to keep it from closing and registered 12 new students. The move keeps a venerable parochial school on the Fayette County map, and it retains an option for parents in the region who desire a Catholic elementary school education for their children.
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Wow: Camp Shining Star, held every year at Jumonville United Methodist Camp, gives grieving children ages 6 to 12 the chance to interact with peers who are going through the same sense of loss over the death of a loved one. The free program, sponsored by Albert Gallatin Home Care & Hospice, provides a service to a segment of society that might otherwise be forgotten.