Hits and Misses
Associated Press
Former Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane arrives at Montgomery County courthouse for her scheduled sentencing hearing Oct. 24, 2016, in Norristown.
Lammay
Sen. Camera Bartolotta
A decade or so ago, Kathleen Kane was a superstar in Pennsylvania political circles. She was the first female attorney general elected in the commonwealth, and was seen as a Democrat who could potentially topple Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey in 2016. But Kane’s career flamed out rapidly after she was accused of leaking grand jury information to embarrass a rival then lying about it under oath. She served eight months in prison, and has largely lived under the radar since her release in 2019. Earlier this week, she made headlines again as a result of being charged with driving under the influence after a two-vehicle crash in Scranton last Saturday. Kane had no comment and thankfully no one was injured in the accident. While she is certain to never again be a major figure in Pennsylvania politics, it’s a shame that she came back into public consciousness this way.
You’re not going to find many Americans who oppose stiff economic sanctions being levied against Russia for its savage and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. But we need to distinguish between actions that will squeeze the Russian economy versus those that will harm individual Russians who may actually oppose the war. Take the case of Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev. He is only 20, has spoken out against the war, and yet his concerts are being canceled across North America. Some symphony orchestras have even ditched performances of works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, even though Tchaikovsky died in 1893, 59 years before Vladimir Putin was even born. Malofeev has said he opposes the war, but worries about the impact his dissent will have on his family in Russia. One Canadian arts patron commented online, “If music is a universal message of peace, why are you banning Malofeev from performing? He is for peace and he is opposed to the war!”
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll, is one of two legislators crafting a bipartisan measure that could reduce the number of juvenile offenders who are placed into detention and put a greater emphasis on family therapy, substance abuse prevention and other programs. Detailed on the Pennsylvania Capital-Star website, the measure that Bartolotta is putting together with state Sen. Anthony Williams, D-Philadelphia, is in response to a report released last year that found that many of the young people who find themselves in the juvenile justice system are not on track to becoming adult offenders and have not committed felonies. However, the report found that involvement with the juvenile justice system can, in fact, increase the likelihood that a young person will get into more trouble. Let’s hope this bill advances in the Senate and eventually becomes law.
On Monday, the Washington School Board unanimously approved hiring George Lammay to the district’s superintendent position until 2025. He has been the interim superintendent since December, following the departure of James Konrad to the Pleasant Valley School District in Monroe County, and comes to the job with deep experience, having been a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent in the Bentworth School District and interim superintendent in the Belle Vernon Area School District. We were heartened when Lammay said one of his goals is boosting the morale of the district’s teachers, who have endured enormous stress over the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Educators are tired, and they’ve been through a lot,” Lammay said. “The pandemic has been draining. My goal is to support them, to be positive and uplift our staff as we see, hopefully, this pandemic coming to an end.”