Cheers & Jeers
Courtesy of PennWest California
The former California University of Pennsylvania is now known as PennWest California.
Evan Vucci/Associated Press
President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt forgiveness in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Wednesday. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona listens at right.
Submitted
Brianna Hensh from Laurel Highlands High School was named the 2022 Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Queen. (Submitted photo)
Cheers: The 2022 Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Show has returned after a two-year break necessitated by the pandemic. The show marks the 67th held by the King Coal Association in Carmichaels. Also returning was the popular coal queen pageant, won by Laurel Highlands High School senior Brianna Hensh. The North Union Township teen was also named Miss Photogenic and received Top Evening Gown honors. The show continues today and tomorrow, with a number of exhibits, concerts and other events at the Carmichaels Fire Hall. A 4 p.m. parade in the borough on Saturday is expected to draw thousands to watch marching bands, volunteer fire departments and antique cars and others. The return of annual events like this one continues to help communities get back to normal after a difficult couple of years, allowing residents to go back to yearly traditions.
Cheers: In terms of sheer politics, forgiving student loan debt doesn鈥檛 appear to hold any winning options for President Biden. Progressives have called for all debt to be canceled, while opponents of any debt cancellation contend that students should fulfill their obligations and pay off their loans to the last penny. They also say loan cancellation is unfair to folks who have not attended a college or university. Biden took a middle path this week, by announcing the forgiveness of $10,000 in debt per borrower making $125,000 or under, and the continued suspension of payments until the end of the year. With the cost of getting a postsecondary education far outpacing inflation, this will offer a boost to borrowers who are trying to purchase houses or vehicles, start families, or otherwise get going with their lives. In the meantime, more steps need to be taken to lower college costs.
Jeers: The base pay for Pennsylvania legislators could inch past $100,000 next year, which would, according to an article published by the independent, nonpartisan Spotlight PA, 鈥�(add) to the price tag for Pennsylvania鈥檚 already expensive, full-time Legislature.鈥� Some lawmakers make a point of returning their automatic pay raises to the state treasury. They also have the option of donating the money to charity. But the process is complicated. State Rep. Brad Roae, a Crawford County Republican, told Spotlight PA the raise still counts as income when it comes to taxes, pensions and student loans. He has authored a bill making a simple form available for lawmakers who want to sidestep the annual pay raise. It has been ignored by his colleagues in the House. The same fate has befallen other bills through the years, according to Spotlight PA. We have to ask, what are they so afraid of? Roae鈥檚 bill, or something like it, should come up for a vote.
Cheers: Making the transition from high school to college is momentous for those who undertake it, and especially so for the freshman class at Penn West California. The new arrivals at what was once known as California University of Pennsylvania are embarking on their postsecondary education just weeks after the campus officially merged with Edinboro and Clarion universities, both of which are operating under the Penn West banner. It鈥檚 all part of a reorganization undertaken by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education that they say will breathe new life into campuses that have been beset by falling enrollment. If this assessment by State System officials is on target, this year鈥檚 freshmen will be the full beneficiaries of the merger. State System officials are also hoping that more students complete degrees in the years ahead, so our fingers are crossed that this year鈥檚 freshmen will be graduating in 2026 or sometime soon thereafter.