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Jeers and cheers

4 min read

JEERS: After one of the wettest summers in recent memory, it seemed like a downpour of sorts was almost guaranteed for Waynesburg’s annual Rain Day Wednesday. But Mother Nature, continuing to be as fickle as ever, decided it would be a dry day in the borough, and thus, for only the 28th time out of the past 142 years, it didn’t rain on July 29 in the Greene County borough.

Rain Day traces its roots back to 1873 when a local pharmacist noted that it always rained on his birthday, July 29, and made a bet with a farmer every year that it would rain that day. The tradition gained notoriety over the years, and a Special Events Commission was eventually organized to mark the day with food booths, musical performances and other entertainment activities. Rain or shine, local residents have a good time marking the tradition, and Wednesday was no exception as hundreds of residents turned out for the festivities.

CHEERS: Robert Ardeno said he teaches to help students, not to win awards, but the Jefferson-Morgan Middle School social studies teacher did both in winning the American Legion 2015 Educator of the Year Award at the 97th Department Convention in Harrisburg recently.

Jefferson-Morgan Middle-Senior High School Principal Joseph Orr, who nominated Ardeno for the award, said he’s an exceptional teacher. He noted that Ardeno has a true love for America and tries to pass that on to his students by involving them in various American Legion programs such as essay contests, poster contests and handing out flags at veteran services. Ardenon whose grandfather was a WWII-era U.S. Army veteran and recipient of five bronze stars, said students need to repay veterans who made so many sacrifices for their freedom. “I try to teach them to respect the military,” said Ardeno. That’s a lesson we all should learn.

CHEERS: The Rev. Terry Sanders wasn’t content just to be a chaplain at the Fayette County Prison, where he helped many survive the rigors of life behind bars. Sanders also wanted to help inmates adapt to life outside prison. So, he founded Genesis House, which helps former convicts with counseling, mentoring, job skills development, job placement services and family reintegration assistance.

With a foundation of faith in God, Sanders said his team at Genesis House works with the former convicts to overcome their drug addictions and personal problems to become contributing members of society. Sanders said it’s not an easy task, but it’s one which is well worth the time and effort involved. We certainly agree. Sanders is to be commended for his commitment to helping the former convicts. We can only hope those in the program are as committed to reforming their lives.

JEERS: Members of Masontown Borough Council and their solicitor spent much of their recent monthly meeting talking about ways to clean up the borough. Some members suggested that council enact a quality-of-life ordinance similar to one adopted by Mount Carmel in Northumberland County. It provides for stiff fines for residents who don’t mow their grass or take out their garbage. However, the borough’s solicitor Gary Monaghan noted that council already has a number of similar ordinances on its books and suggested that enforcement was the key to any cleanup effort.

It was decided that Council President Frank McLaughlin would appoint a three-member committee to review the quality-of-life ordinance and how it would suit the borough’s needs. However, the real problem is that such ordinances are needed at all. It’s a sad situation when people have to be threatened with fines for things such as not cutting their grass. You’d think people would have enough personal pride to take care of their property. Let’s hope that people will eventually come to their senses and do the right thing without being taken to court. Of course, maybe a stiff fine is exactly what some of these people need.

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