Hits and Misses
Observer-Reporter
Pete Daley is shown in this 2016 file photo after he announced his retirement following a 34-year career in the state House of Representatives.
Courtesy of Douglas Sikora
Douglas Sikora of Pittsburgh pulled this tack out of his bicycle’s front tire Saturday after riding on the Panhandle Trail in Washington County.
Peter J. Daley retired from public office six years ago, yet his absence from the Mon Valley communities he represented in Harrisburg for more than 30 years will be keenly felt. Following his death last week at the age of 71, the former representative from the 49th Legislative District was remembered for his accomplishments as a lawmaker, his gregarious personality and how he helped the community through a drive-thru food distribution event twice a year at United Christian Church in Coal Center. Many younger colleagues considered Daley a friend and mentor. Former Washington County district attorney Steve Toprani said, “You can’t walk through the Mon Valley without seeing his footprints. He was involved in so many things. … Even though he left public office in recent years, he never lost interest in public causes. Pete was a giant in our area.”
It could be that whoever poured carpenters tacks on a paved portion of the Panhandle Trail near Burgettstown last weekend thought they were being mischievous or funny, but it was certainly nothing that the bicyclists who found themselves stranded due to flat tires were chuckling about. It could have been a dangerous situation for riders on the remote portion of the trail, where there is no cell service. Some cyclists were left to walk back to their vehicles, and for Cortney DiVito of Glenshaw, it was a five-mile trek. She told the Observer-Reporter, “It could have been pretty catastrophic. It was just a really malicious act.” She’s right. What would drive someone to deliberately disrupt the enjoyment of cyclists on a trail and potentially endanger them is beyond our comprehension.
You’ve heard of the Running of the Bulls, right? Well, Washington is going to see “The Running of the Wools” next year. Yes, next April, downtown Washington will host sheep “races” as a way to highlight Washington County’s heritage in wool production and sheep farming. Today at 6 p.m., the Washington Business District Authority and the Washington Historical Society will be hosting a fundraiser for it at Washington Park’s Stone Pavilion. So far, according to Clay Kilgore, executive director of the Washington Historical Society, the response has been “overwhelming.” He explained, “We want to have fun with it. We want it to be something enjoyable. I have found if you can make something fun and pick a more lighthearted side of history, it’s easier to get across.” Kilgore and the Historical Society deserve credit for their ingenuity.
Leaders of many nations right now are dogged by low approval ratings thanks to the continuing fallout from COVID-19 and rising prices, and none more so than Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister. Not only is he confronting a restive and disgruntled public due to conditions in their day-to-day lives, but he is also the object of their ire due to raucous parties that were held at his residence while the rest of the country was in a hard lockdown in the depths of the pandemic. His colleagues in the Conservative Party exacted a price on Monday with a no-confidence vote that could have immediately ended his premiership. Johnson survived, but more than 40% of his colleagues voted to oust him. The conventional wisdom among observers of British politics is that his days at 10 Downing Street are numbered. What is refreshing, though, is how Johnson was held to account by members of his own party for his misdeeds. Some lawmakers on this side of the Atlantic should take note.