Hits and Misses

Many people in this region are more than eager to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but there’s plenty of confusion and concern about when and where they will be able to get it. Arguably, Pennsylvania should be getting more of the vaccine since it has one of the largest populations of people over age 65 in the country. Pennsylvania has also been relatively slow in administering the vaccine doses it’s been getting. And there’s even more confusion on who can get it following a recommendation by the federal government that anyone over age 65 should be given priority for the vaccine, along with anyone under age 65 with preexisting conditions. In Pennsylvania’s phased vaccination plan, everyone between ages 65 and 75 has to wait until the 1C phase. One hopes that once the Biden administration takes office next week, they will focus on increasing vaccine production, its distribution, and make it clear where everyone is in line.
Last week, the Pennsylvania Senate refused to seat Jim Brewster, the Democrat who was reelected to his 45th District seat by the tiniest of margins. It caused quite a ruckus, but Brewster was finally sworn in for another four-year term on Wednesday after a federal judge threw out a challenge to a few hundred ballots in Allegheny County made by his Republican challenger, Nicole Ziccarelli. To her credit, Ziccarelli issued a graceful concession, saying, “Based on the razor-thin election results in this district, there is no question that we are divided right down the middle. I am asking all of us to come together and support Sen. Brewster. We need him to fight for funding and economic development in our communities.”
The coronavirus took a harsh toll on performing arts groups around the world last year, leaving some with little more than empty coffers and hope that 2021 will be better. Odds are this year will indeed be better, though it will take time for things to improve. With this reality in mind, Little Lake Theatre in North Strabane has announced its new season, and this year productions throughout the summer will take place in a large outdoor tent. Patrons will be distanced from one another, staff will wear masks, casts will be small and the show will, at last, go on. Last year was the first in Little Lake’s 72-year history when it did not stage an in-person performance, so the return of live theater to the area will be most welcome.
“When you’re a star, they let you do it,” President Trump notoriously observed on the “Access Hollywood” tape that came close to capsizing his 2016 presidential bid. But earlier this week, Bruce Willis found out that when you’re a star, sometimes they don’t let you do it. Willis was spotted without a mask inside a Rite Aid outlet in Los Angeles, even though masks are required in the store and Los Angeles is experiencing severe coronavirus outbreaks. Customers complained and, rather than comply like a mere mortal, Willis walked out without making a purchase. Was the bad publicity worth it to Willis? Was the risk to his own health, or the health of other customers, worth it? One Twitter wag couldn’t help but wonder if Willis’ next movie was going to be “Die Hard With a Ventilator.”