Hits and Misses
Hits and Misses
HIT: State Rep. Jason Ortitay, who represents portions of northern Washington County and southern Allegheny County, has been pressing legislation for four years that would increase awareness regarding eating disorders in children. On Monday, the Pennsylvania House Education Committee voted to advance the Cecil Republican’s proposal. It would require schools to make information available on eating disorders for students in grades six through 12. That information would be available through either email, first-class mail or a school district’s website. The bill now advances to the full House for a vote. The House approved the measure in its last session, but it stalled in the state Senate. Ortitay said, “There is no time to delay as social media use continues to grow, which contributes to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. As the father of two young girls, it is vital parents have the tools to quickly identify eating disorders and know what resources are available to get help.”
HIT: County and local fairs are a not-miss part of the summer for many people. The months of warmer weather wouldn’t be quite the same for them without the rides, the crafts, the bands, the aroma of candied apples and funnel cakes and, of course, the odors that emanate from the barns where livestock are kept. Those county and local fairs are a lot of fun and, it turns out, also good for the economy. Last week, Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding revealed the results of an economic impact study that found that the commonwealth’s 107 county and local fairs contribute $1.1 billion to the state’s economy every year. The fairs also support more than 10,000 full-time jobs and bring visitors who spend $673 million in the communities where the fairs happen. The Washington County Agricultural Fair was used as one of six case studies, and the study found that the fair draws more than 64,000 over its eight days, has an estimated economic impact of close to $23 million, and supports 200 jobs. Redding explained, “Every dollar Pennsylvania invests in our fairs is a dollar invested in opportunities for a community to thrive, for young people to learn valuable life skills, and for visitors to meet the neighbors who feed them and enrich their lives every day.”
MISS: There have recently been a handful of house fires in the region, including a blaze in Upper St. Clair that left one person dead and a fire in Donora that severely damaged one dwelling. Unfortunately, this is the season for house fires. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, December and January are the worst months of the year for house fires, with half of all home fires occurring in this time. Space heaters and fireplaces are often the culprits in house fires, and experts advise using space heaters that have an automatic turn-off switch if they are knocked over and keeping anything that can burn at least three feet away from a heat source, such as stoves, radiators and fireplaces. They also say that only one heat-producing appliance should be plugged into an electrical outlet at a time to prevent wiring from overheating. Keeping safety tips like these in mind can spare a lot of heartbreak and potentially save lives.