Cheers & Jeers
Cheers: Two deputies from the Greene County sheriff’s office who recently saved the life of a man who was overdosing after they arrested him are to be commended. Cpl. Nick Gustovich and Deputy Tom Jensen executed a felony arrest warrant for Joshua Allen Seeholzer in the Bobtown area on Sept. 22; following a foot chase, police placed Seeholzer in a patrol car, where he began showing signs of an overdose and became unresponsive. The deputies provided life-saving medical attention and used the overdose reversal drug Narcan to save him. Sheriff Marcus Simms commended the deputies for their quick recognition and treatment, saying that “even after the pursuit and fight they just had with this individual, they fought to preserve his life and get him the appropriate treatment needed. Without their training and administering of Narcan this individual would’ve had little chance of being alive today.”
Cheers: Kudos to preschool teacher Kim Brown and her 19 students in the Pre-K Counts Program in Wharton Township for raising more than $1,000 for the American Red Cross and the Angel Tree program. On Sept. 23, the students honored Brown’s birthday wish to do something kind for someone by running a “Lemons to Lemonade” stand. Brown came up with the idea on a hot day early in the school year after overhearing some parents talking about the struggles associated with the pandemic, something she understood far too well. She was hospitalized after contracting COVID-19, and spent two months on oxygen after her release. “We need to stop and enjoy the good stuff now,” she said. “But as hard as it was for me, I realized COVID has affected so many people. We’d saved up enough sour lemons that we were going to change it into something good.” An educator for three decades, Brown said teaching kindness has always been a part of her curriculum. “It’s really a theme throughout life,” she said. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor, you can always be kind.”
Cheers: Albert Gallatin’s Matt Karpeal and Laurel Highlands’ Megan Joyce won individual titles last Friday in the FCCA Golf Championship. Karpeal, a senior, shot even-par 70 to win his first county golf crown. Joyce, also a senior, finished with 10-over 80 to win her first girls title. Cheers also to Uniontown for winning the big school crown and Frazier winning the small school title.
Jeers: First, the good news: the United States’ murder rate remains lower than it was 30 years ago, when it hit its peak. Now, the bad news: the murder rate in America jumped by almost 30% last year, according to data released this week by the FBI. It’s the biggest increase from one year to the next on record. Some cities reached record highs. The reasons? The pandemic exacted a heavy toll on many households, and the stress and economic dislocation could have caused tempers to flare as quarantines dragged on. We are also a country awash in firearms, and three-quarters of 2020’s murders were committed with guns. Access to mental health services also became inconsistent during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and police ranks were thinned in some locations due to coronavirus exposure. Law enforcement personnel, public health officials and lawmakers need to work to make sure 2020’s increase in murders was a temporary blip and not the start of an upward trend.