Cheers: To Northumberland County’s solicitor Vincent Rovito and chief clerk Kymberly Best for stepping forward to represent the county in some its seemingly endless litany of lawsuits in an effort to save taxpayers on the cost of legal bills. The county spent $400,000 on outside attorney fees last year, a cost that Best and Rovito say they may be able to cut in half. Of course, if the county could manage to do business without getting sued so often, then that might help alleviate some of the strain, as well. But, the progress is welcome.
Cheers : To Eleanor Clark, a Lewisburg woman who can proudly claim a spot as an important footnote in American history, as one of the legion of scientsts involved in the development of the technology that allowed astronauts to safely journey to the moon and return home in one piece. Clark’s role in the mission involved work to help ensure that the space capsule’s flotation device worked properly at splash down. Cheers, too, to the members of the Children of the American Revolution who chronicled Clark’s story as part of a national effort to document the U.S.’s history of exploration.
Cheers: To the more than 3,100 Boy Scouts in 140 troops in the Central Susquehanna Valley (and the scores of volunteer Scout leaders who help them engage in myriad service and outdoors-related activities), as the national organization celebrates its centennial. Scouting has helped innumerable young men grow into leaders and engaged citizens later in life.
Jeers : To all those involved in the prosecution and conviction of a Luzerne County woman who decided to make a buck by piercing the ears of kittens and marketing them as “gothic kittens.” A jury in Luzerne County (where they ought to have more serious matters to address) found Holly Crawford guilty of two counts of animal cruelty. The jury overlooked the defense argument that parents allow children to get pierced ears at young ages, and it would be wrong to hold cat owners to a higher standard. Wouldn’t the very definition of humane treatment be treating the animals like humans? Cheers : To the leaders of nation’s armed forces for trying to do an about-face on the military’s out-of-step policy banning homosexuals from openly serving their country. Adm.
Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates appeared recently before the Senate Armed Services Committee and announced plans to loosen the existing “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policies that have been in place since 1993.
