Hits and Misses
Washington County’s arts community was diminished last week by the death of Ray Forquer. The 76-year-old painter was a native of the area, and built a substantial reputation thanks to paintings that showed the beauty of local landmarks like Washington & Jefferson College, as well as paintings that showed the brutality of war, particularly the Civil War. Forquer also taught art in the Chartiers-Houston School District for many years and opened the eyes of many students to the wonders of art. Through his career, his works landed in collections held by W&J, California University of Pennsylvania, and his paintings were shown at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art and the Butler Museum of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, among other institutions. In Forquer’s obituary, his family encouraged those who would like to memorialize him “to appreciate art, respect history and be helpful to others through quiet actions or donations to a local art, historical or educational charity.” That sounds like a fitting tribute.
The COVID-19 pandemic reached Pennsylvania almost five months ago, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody who doesn’t hanker for the routines we enjoyed before then. Larry Maggi, a Washington County commissioner, may be playing a small part in helping us get back to our pre-COVID lives. The 69-year-old former Marine is participating in a trial in Columbus, Ohio, that will perhaps result in a vaccine for the coronavirus. Maggi is not going to be injected with the live virus, and will be able to remain visible in the community. When the trial is over, he will find out if he was injected with a vaccine or a placebo. Maggi told the Observer-Reporter earlier this week that he felt like participating in the trial was an act of patriotism. “We need a vaccine to hopefully get back to normal. I kind of felt like I joined the Marines again.”
COVID-19 has curtailed or scotched many of the activities that would be taking place right now to make sure eligible Pennsylvanians are registered to vote in November, but it seems that residents of the commonwealth are taking the initiative to register on their own. Pittsburgh Quarterly reported this week that voter registration numbers across Pennsylvania are poised to surpass 2016, and could end up being as high as they were in 2008, when Barack Obama defeated John McCain in that year’s presidential election. It’s simple: The more people who are registered and actually go to the polls, the healthier our democracy.
Americans have reason to feel envious of other nations that have successfully reduced the number of coronavirus infections within their borders. This has allowed economic activity to slowly resume and people to move about with a greater sense of confidence. We can get to that point if we wear masks, keep our distance from others and take other simple steps that can reduce transmission rates. Business owners can help in this endeavor. As the Observer-Reporter reported on Tuesday, Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement conducted nearly 20,000 statewide inspections in July, and issued five violations and 31 warnings. The Pittsburgh office received 355 complaints. It’s incumbent on the owners of these establishments to do their part and make sure they – and their customers – are following the rules. The sooner that happens, the better off we all will be.