Cheers & Jeers
Cheers: A $25 million plan to repurpose an old railroad bridge in Connellsville was met with enthusiasm at a public meeting held earlier this week to introduce the project. Though still in the conceptual stages, the plan is to transform the Iron Horse Bridge to attract cyclists and pedestrians traveling the Great Allegheny Passage, which could prove to be a big boost for the local economy. 鈥淭his is going to be a very big deal,鈥� Connellsville Mayor Greg Lincoln told the more than 100 people in attendance. 鈥淪tart preparing. You鈥檙e never going to believe the impact these bikers are going to have on your town.鈥�
Jeers: Stories about parents and spectators getting into fist-flying melees at K-12 sporting events have, unfortunately, become all too common. But what makes the report about a brawl that broke out at a middle school basketball game in Vermont stand out is the fact that one of the participants died shortly after the incident. It hasn鈥檛 yet been determined whether 60-year-old Russell Giroux of Alburgh, Vt., succumbed due to an injury he sustained in the brawl, or if his death was due to unrelated causes. One official was quoted in The Washington Post that it wasn鈥檛 clear why the fight started, that it mostly consisted of adults and 鈥渢here was one parent who had blood all over their face.鈥� Ugly events like these underscore the need for students, administrators, coaches and, yes, parents, to step back, take a deep breath, and realize what scholastic sports should be about 鈥� physical fitness and working with others on a team, learning to win gracefully and, yes, learning how to lose gracefully. Whether a team, or a particular player, is successful or not should take a back seat to these goals. Participating in a sport should be another means to prepare a student for adulthood, and they can come to realize that they鈥檒l win some and they鈥檒l lose some.
Jeers: In March, additional benefits some families have received through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic will be coming to an end. And they are coming to an end at a very inopportune moment, with grocery prices having gone up by 10% in the United States in 2022. Val Arkoosh, the acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, pointed out in a story that appeared in the 缅北禁地 and Observer-Reporter this week that those additional payments have been 鈥渁 lifeline鈥� for families and individuals struggling with food insecurity. She also said that they are looking toward 鈥渉eroic charitable partners鈥� to help fill the gaps. However, the Salvation Army has reported receiving fewer food donations recently, and monetary donations don鈥檛 go as far as they once did. It鈥檚 always good to assist our neighbors or community members who need a hand, and the need is particularly urgent now. Help if you can.