Hits & Misses
Hits & Misses
A quick look at some of the key issues making headlines in the Observer-Reporter
Miss: The photo of the dog accompanying Thursday’s story about a South Franklin Township man facing animal cruelty charges is painful to look at. Imagine how Peter, the dog in the photo with a congenital foot deformity and a host of other medical problems, must feel.
For the second time in as many weeks, we found ourselves reporting on yet another case alleging animal abuse. Steven Osko is facing a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals after one of his dogs was found with an injured leg that allegedly had been left untreated for months. He surrendered that dog and one other – Peter, the one in the photo – after he was told he was being charged.
It continues to baffle us why people adopt dogs, cats, hamsters – or goldfish, for that matter – if they don’t intend to provide the animals with proper care.
We editorialized here just last week after Jessica Dawn Johnston pleaded guilty to 22 summary offenses for abandoning her dog and its litter of puppies, leaving the mother dog to die along with one of the pups. She was fined $2,500, not including court costs and restitution. She didn’t spend a single day in jail, despite Libre’s Law, enacted last year to strengthen the state’s laws against mistreatment of animals.
We said it last week, and it bears repeating. The message the state intended to send with Libre’s Law can only be received if it is properly delivered at the local level. We hope police file the most serious charges that can be supported by the law. It is imperative that prosecutors follow through by pursuing those charges with vigor, rather than plea-bargaining them down.
Miss: With a hefty dose of skepticism, we take note of Tuesday’s state House vote on a bill to cut the House from 203 to 151 members and the Senate from 80 to 38. While we support downsizing the Legislature, it’s a good bet it won’t happen anytime soon.
The bill is an amendment to the state constitution, so it has to pass with identical language in consecutive legislative sessions. The version that passed during the last session pertained to the House alone, while the one approved this week deals with both chambers. The Senate would have to remove the reduction in senators, and the House would have to pass it again to include only the cut in representatives. It is unlikely the referendum will make it to the ballot for voters to decide in November.
In short, it appears lawmakers will continue to kick this can down the road.
Hit: Kudos to Wheeling Jesuit University for putting a college education within reach for students who commute to class from 12 counties in the tri-state area, including Washington and Greene. The school announced this week that incoming fall students who qualify for federal and state financial aid will be eligible for the Father Clifford Lewis S.J. Scholars Program, which limits tuition to $8,250 per year.
“Thanks to our new commuter rate, aspiring students in this region have an opportunity to make their college selection based on academic excellence rather than cost,” university President Debra Townsley said.
At a time of escalating higher education costs, the school is to be lauded for the new initiative that certainly will be a win-win for both students and the university.