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Jeers and cheers

4 min read

JEERS: Here’s an important message for mom and dad. Put down your smart phones and listen to your kids. Highlight magazine surveyed 1,500 children, ages 6-12, and found that 62 percent said their parents were often focused on other things when they tried talking to them. The main source of distraction was, to no one’s surprise, a smart phone. When asked what their parents would do if they lost their phones, an 8-year-old girl said, “I think my mom would go crazy and have a heart attack and then faint.”

Joe Mahoney, therapeutic coordinator for Intermediate Unit 1, said parents need to be a role model for their kids and spend quality time conversing with them. He added that a family meal together a few times a week with no television or phones can show a child that the parent cares about them and has their attention. As a 10-year-old said, “I know my parents are really listening to me when they are sitting down and not on their phones.”

CHEERS: The Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau’s recent annual dinner had a distinct Fayette County flavor to it as Pam Kruse, owner of Falls Market and Firefly Grill in Ohiopyle, received the Entrepreneur of the Year award, and Raymond Matthews, vineyard manager at Christian W. Klay Winery in Farmington, was presented with the Tourism Employee of the Year award.

Ronald Virag, CEO for the bureau, which includes Fayette, Westmoreland and Somerset counties, had some more good news, noting the agency distributed grants totaling $1,453,000, a $230,000 increase over last year. Virag said the tax revenue increased $82,000 over last year, and, overall, lodging revenue in the Laurel Highlands increased to $2.7 million, with most of the revenue coming from the hotel tax. Virag noted that 95 percent of that money comes from people outside the region. That is indeed good news, showing that tourism, one of our biggest industries, is alive and growing.

CHEERS: It’s always nice to see people recognized for their good work, and that certainly was the case with the Fayette Young Professionals Network recently honoring four area professionals for their guidance and direction. Honored were Brian Boyle, owner and president of Uniontown Country Club; Renee Couser, director of donor relations at the Community Foundation of Fayette County; Dennis Noonan, vice president of sales and marketing at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort; and James Stark, CEO of the Fayette County Community Action Agency.

Formed in 2012, the Fayette Young Professionals Network is a group of 21- to 40-year-olds who work and live in Fayette County. The mission of the group is to enhance professional development opportunities for area young professionals through networking, socializing and volunteering. “I’ve had the privilege of seeing this group evolve in the last three years,” said Mike Romeo, “and we’ve been very fortunate to have our mentors never say ‘no’ (and) always ask us if we needed any help.” Certainly, that’s a good thing, and we’re fortunate to have both mentors and young professionals in our midst. Working together, they’re making Fayette County a better place for everyone.

JEERS: What the heck motivates someone to phone in a bomb scare to a local school? That’s the question puzzling school and police officials after a recent bomb scare at the Jefferson-Morgan High/Middle School. This one came after two others were made last year. Unfortunately no arrests have been made in any of the incidents. That has parents, teachers and administrators more than a little concerned.

Jefferson-Morgan Superintendent Donna Furnier acknowledged that “it’s very hard catch somebody.” Still, she is holding out hope that someone will eventually talk about the incident, giving state police the break they’re looking for. The only good thing was that the school’s evacuation plan was followed to the letter. However, officials can only hope that whoever is making the calls is caught, and the evacuation plan isn’t used again anytime soon.

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