Cheers and Jeers
Cheers to former Southwest Regional police chief John Hartman, who retired last month. He had been chief of the Southwest Regional Police Department since it was founded in 2003 and played a key role in expanding a department that now provides coverage for Belle Vernon, Bentleyville, Coal Center, Cokeburg, Newell, Perry Township, Union Township and Wayne Township in Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland and Greene counties.
Jeers to the upcoming orange cone season. Valerie Petersen, PennDOT District 12 Community Relations Coordinator, said several upcoming construction projects throughout Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties will change the way motorists think about getting home. We hope that traffic delays aren’t too long and that construction gets done quickly and efficiently.
Cheers to the people who coordinate the annual Gross National Product (GNP) music concert at Waynesburg University. The annual concert, which is free and open to the public, celebrates generations of musicians and singers performing a wide array of different types of music, and encourages talented people of all ages to participate. This concert — which has been offered annually for roughly half a century — will be held this year on April 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the university’s Goodwin Performing Arts Center.
Cheers to Monongahela Mayor Bob Kepics who announced at a recent council meeting that he will be co-hosting a drug task force meeting with Monessen Mayor Matt Shorraw. Scheduled for May 2 at 10 a.m., the meeting will be open to all mayors and police chiefs from communities throughout the Mon Valley, as well as representatives from the state police and the Washington County coroner’s office. We believe any discussion on ways to help combat the drug crisis in our area is a positive step towards finding solutions.
Jeers to those who use social media outlets to publicly and verbally attack local businesses for what they believe was inefficient service. Over the past few days, quite a few Facebook users posted multiple complaints about various Greene County pages, even resorting to vicious name-calling and spouting accusations that some would consider to be libelous. On a few posts, employees were even accused of doing drugs while on the job, without any proof. We strongly recommend that if anyone has an issue with a local business, then they should contact or visit the business directly and address the issue, rather than airing out their “dirty laundry” on Facebook for all to see.
Cheers to the people who coordinate the annual Hammer-In Festival at the W.A. Young and Sons Foundry and Machine Shop in Rices Landing. The much-anticipated event features hammer-on-anvil demonstrations, guided tours of the foundry and auctions of items made by area blacksmiths. This is a wonderful event that celebrates the foundry and machining’s rich history as well as its local significance during the Industrial Era. The festival will celebrate its 30th anniversary on April 21.