Hits and Misses
This week, the temperature hit 104 degrees in Britain. That wouldn’t be so out of the ordinary in, say, Saudi Arabia or even Alabama, but in a part of Europe where typical afternoon high temperatures in July are in the low- to- mid-70s, it’s a jaw-dropper. Climate scientists have been urgently sounding the alarm, saying that extreme weather events like this will become increasingly common as the climate changes. This week, the Observer-Reporter looked at some local residents who, in their own way, are trying to help stem global warming and make the world more habitable for young people who can’t yet participate in policy debates. For instance, David Wray, a fourth-grade science teacher at Washington Park Elementary School, has started a club that has students bringing their own reusable straws to school. He explained, “I try to focus on what I can do, and what they can do. I try to always look at the positive possibilities, instead of the negative ones that will keep me up at night.”
When S. Timothy Warco became Washington County’s coroner in 1992, there were two drug overdose deaths in the course of the whole year, both from prescription drugs. Last year, there were 106 deaths related to drug abuse, according to the recently released 2021 Washington County Coroner’s Report. It’s yet another indication of how persistent the problem is, especially as illegal drugs become more potent and deadly. It stands to reason that the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the problem, raising stress levels and placing barriers to treatment. Unfortunately, overdose deaths are trending up throughout Pennsylvania and across the country. In the commonwealth, overdose deaths increased by 16% in 2020, and climbed by an additional 6% in 2021. In the United States, there were more than 100,000 overdose deaths last year, a record-breaking number. Warco said, “I don’t see an end to it,” but we have no other choice but to keep fighting the drug epidemic.
Worried about the state of democracy? You have reason to be, especially when elected leaders who are purportedly supposed to uphold democracy seem more interested in tearing it down and replacing it with some form of authoritarianism. Unfortunately, there’s reason to believe some of their constituents actually wouldn’t mind living under a strongman. According to a study from the Ipsos Knowledge Panel, 40% of respondents believed that having a “strong leader” is more important than the United States continuing as a democracy. The study also found that half of those surveyed believe the country could face a civil war, and 20% believe political violence is sometimes justified. This is yet further evidence that we need to strengthen the teaching of civics. Americans who yearn for a strongman also need to be reminded of this slice of wisdom from Winston Churchill: “Democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.”
Charleroi’s borough council has approved a resolution that would limit right-to-know requests. Borough manager Matt Staniszewski said the borough is seeking “a reasonable balance between being completely transparent in processing those requests and just doing our job to serve the taxpayers.” The problem, though, is that Pennsylvania’s right-to-know law states clearly “an agency cannot limit the number of records which may be requested or made available for inspection or duplication.” Plus, the measure states that a decision will be made “on a case-by-case basis” whether someone is making too many requests. What if they decide someone making just one request is one too many? The council may say they want to be transparent, but this looks anything but.