Cheers & Jeers
Cheers: After a two-year hiatus, Empty Bowls Greene will return to raise money and awareness for the many people in our communities who do not have enough to eat. The premise is simple: local artisans make bowls that are filled with soup for purchase. Customers get to keep the bowls, which are meant to remind them of the many empty bowls around the world. Pandemic concerns scuttled the event for the past two years. On Saturday, Waynesburg University students will bring it back, serving at Stover Hall on campus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A drive-thru option is also available. Proceeds generated from the event are funneled back to local projects. As prices continue to rise that will heighten the difficulty for those already in financially precarious positions. It makes the Empty Bowl event even more timely and important to provide aid to those around us.
Cheers: While neighboring counties saw their revenue from the hotel occupancy tax drop sharply in 2020 during pandemic-related shutdowns, Fayette County’s figures remained somewhat strong and then came roaring back last year. The county received nearly $2.9 million in 2021 – up from $2.3 million in 2019 and $1.4 million in 2020 – with the help of various rental cabins around Ohiopyle and Nemacolin resort in Farmington. The county became a popular destination for people looking to get outdoors amid the pandemic, which helped to boost tax revenue. “Fortunately, Fayette County and the Laurel Highlands were a destination of choice during the ongoing years of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said {span}Ann Nemanic, executive director for tourism agency Go Laurel Highlands{/span}. “The natural resources found in our state parks provided a welcome respite for individuals seeking wide open spaces to enjoy. The physical and mental health of visitors connecting to nature became a true positive.”
Cheers: Connellsville’s Jared Keslar and Waynesburg Central’s Zander Phaturos and Colton Stoneking ended their high school careers on a winning note at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic at Peters Township High School last Friday. All three won decisions for the WPIAL All-Star Team, which defeated the Indiana All-Star Team, 35-6. Keslar out-pointed J Conway, 8-6, in the 160-pound match. Phaturos rolled to a 6-1 win over Matteo Vargo at 126. Stoneking dominated Elijah Anthony in a 10-5 victory at 132. Keslar impressed enough to be chosen as the WPIAL Team’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. Belle Vernon’s Cole Weightman and Logan Hoffman were also chosen to wrestle in the prestigious event for the WPIAL team, although they both lost close decisions. Mount Pleasant’s Dayton Pitzer wrestled for the Pennsylvania All-Star Team in the main event that followed the WPIAL-Indiana match and lost a 4-3 decision as the United States All-Star Team claimed a 25-21 win.
Jeers: Actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock for joking about his wife during last Sunday’s broadcast of the Academy Awards was certainly a disheartening moment for anyone concerned that our culture is becoming more coarse, more dumb and more debased. What was encouraging, though, was the almost universal condemnation that was heaped on Smith in the days after. For all his power and celebrity, and whether or not Rock’s joke was in good taste or not, the overwhelming reaction to Smith’s display of temper was revulsion. No matter how many more movies he makes, or no matter how much he atones, millions of people will never be able to get the image out of their heads of Smith, angry and out of control in front of millions of people. Alyssa Rosenberg, a Washington Post columnist, said, “The slap was simply sad and awful, and sometimes it’s worth letting a disaster just be a disaster in all its wretched clarity.”
Jeers: Most of the statewide Republican gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates are making strenuous efforts to show-off their tough-guy credentials in televisions ads – vowing to “fight” for this or that, talking about their combat duty or hunting adventures, vowing to put criminals behind bars, and on and on. But at least four GOP gubernatorial candidates seem a little frightened by the prospect of tough questions. The campaign managers for Lou Barletta, Jake Corman, Bill McSwain and Dave White have asked that moderators for debates in the weeks before the May 17 primary be registered Republicans and not work for an organization that has “maligned” any of the candidates. To her credit, Melissa Hart, the former congresswoman who is a dark horse contender in the contest, released a statement disavowing the whole effort: “I am not afraid of tough questions, and I will not demand to see the registration card of the questioner before I answer.”