Hits & Misses
MISS: President Trump fashions himself an expert on many fronts. He once referred to himself as a “very stable genius.” But firefighting might not be his forte. During the blaze the other day at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, when firefighters were valiantly laboring to save the historic structure, Trump opined on Twitter that “perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!” The French government’s civil defense agency tweeted back, “The drop of water by air on this type of building could indeed result in the collapse of the entire structure.” And Wayne McPartland, a retired New York City Fire Department battalion chief, told CNBC, “If you hit that with tons of water from above, that’s going to collapse the entire structure and make the situation worse. If you miss, you might hit civilians in the street.” Perhaps Trump should just focus on putting out the fires he ignites on Twitter.
MISS: What are the odds that a team featuring Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel could lose a first-round NHL playoff series in four straight games against the New York Islanders, a team that, before the season, many experts doubted would even make the playoffs? Apparently, pretty good, because that’s exactly what happened. Penguins fans no doubt expected to settle in for a long run in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but they’ll have to find something else now to occupy their time. If we’re lucky, the Pittsburgh Pirates will keep their heads above water and contend for a playoff spot at least until Steelers training camp gets under way.
HIT: In 2015, Pennsylvania’s Sexual Assault and Evidence Collection Act was amended so that it would require law enforcement agencies to report the number of forensic rape kits they possess that still need to be tested. The new rule seems to have had the desired result. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale reported last week that the number of kits that collect DNA and other evidence that had gone untested had been reduced by 90 percent over the last three years. There are about 340 kits that still have to be tested, but that’s appreciably better than the 3,200 that had been sitting untouched. Grants and increased state funding have helped reduce the backlog. According to Jennifer Storm, Pennsylvania’s victim advocate, “For every untested kit there is both a victim without resolution in their respective case and an unknown perpetrator who could be identified. It is unconscionable to think of evidence just lying around untested that could lead to justice and prevent further sexual violence …”
HIT: “A classic American story, grippingly told, of an Appalachian family struggling to retain its middle-class status in the shadow of destruction wreaked by corporate fracking.” That’s how the board that hands out the Pulitzer Prizes described “Amity and Prosperity,” the 2018 book by journalist Eliza Griswold that chronicled the travails of a Washington County family and their neighbors who contended their health and property were damaged as a result of natural gas fracking. “Amity and Prosperity” was awarded a Pulitzer earlier this week in the general nonfiction category, and it’s a tribute not only to Griswold’s considerable skills as a storyteller, but also to the dogged research and reporting she dedicated to the subject, and her sensitivity to all sides of the issue. We look forward to seeing what Griswold chooses to write about for her next book.