Hits & Misses
HIT: When we first wrote the story about the scammers who put card skimmers on area ATMs and then used bogus cards to withdraw people’s money, we figured the culprits had conducted a quick-hitting operation and were long gone. But thanks to the work of police officers in South Strabane Township, where the skimming occurred, and in Peters Township, one of the suspects in the scam was picked up Saturday. South Strabane police had circulated photos of the suspects and the vehicles believed to have been used in the skimming, and Peters police spotted one of those “suspect” vehicles at S&T Bank on Washington Road. Arrested was 33-year-old Elvis Roman, a Romanian national. Here’s hoping the others involved in the scheme will soon join him behind bars.
HIT: This week, local first responders were recognized at two separate events for their efforts to save live lives and protect our community. On Wednesday, police, firefighters and emergency medical workers were honored for saving lives through the use of the opioid antagonist Narcan at a luncheon sponsored by the Washington County Opioid Overdose Task Force. “The work of saving the lives of the addicted may seem thankless at times … But I am certain there is tremendous gratitude for your work,” said Jason Snyder, now in recovery and regional director for Pinnacle Treatment Centers. Also Wednesday, German Township supervisors honored the numerous emergency services personnel who thwarted a gunman’s attack at the office of District Judge Daniel Shimshock’s office in Masontown on Sept. 19. Four people were injured before police fatally shot the gunman. “You are all our heroes,” Masontown Mayor Toni Petris those in attendance at the meeting. Yes, they are.
MISS: One of the best ways to make sure that inmates in Pennsylvania prisons don’t turn back to crime once they are free is educating them while they are behind bars. However, a new rule that went into effect in September is going to make it harder for inmates to get that education. Rather than allowing outside groups or individuals to send books or other publications to inmates, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is now mandating that inmates purchase a tablet with a $147 price tag, where they can then choose from the 8,500 books available through that system. The DOC has said this is being done to enhance security, but this will almost certainly limit the educational opportunities of inmates. New York and Maryland recently imposed similar rules, but they were rescinded when public pressure was brought to bear. Let’s hope Pennsylvania does the same. A former inmate put it well to the Philadelphia Inquirer last month: “To me, depriving someone of access to a book, it’s like, ‘Wow, where’s the humanity in that?'”
MISS: The saga of the North Main Street building collapse took another twist this week when the company hired by the Washington officials to demolish the structure and clear debris sued the city in federal court claiming fraud, breach of contract and a violation of civil rights. The dispute centers around whether Allegheny Crane Rental Inc. overcharged the city for a project that local officials contend should be half of the final $1.6 million invoice. Unfortunately, the city needed to bypass normal municipal bidding procedures in order to hire Allegheny Crane Rental to immediately demolish the building at 15 N. Main St. following the July 21, 2017, collapse. Now, it seems that they may be stuck with a bill they contend is inflated. Whether this lawsuit goes to trial or is mediated to find common ground, it seems that everyone will walk away from the building collapse a loser.
MISS: It’s hard to find a more sterling example of overregulation than a law that recently came on the books in Scotland. It imposes strict rules on, wait for it, how the Shetland Islands can be represented on maps. Located about 100 miles north of the Scottish mainland, the rule states that “in any map of Scotland, the Shetland Islands must be displayed in a manner that accurately and proportionately represents their geographical location in relation to the rest of Scotland.” Basically, it’s believed by proponents of the law that putting the islands in a box on a map, as is done on United States maps with Alaska and Hawaii to save space, does not represent the challenges getting to and from the Shetland Islands and “has a serious impact on the economies of the island.” It seems to us that if you are that interested in investing in the Shetland Islands, or traveling there, you’ll understand how to look at a map without the authorities intervening.