Hits and Misses
Since the Pennsylvania Turnpike has switched to all electronic tolling since the start of the 2020s, it has resulted in millions of dollars of unpaid tolls. In the 2020-21 fiscal year, the amount reached $104 million, and in the following fiscal year it was $155 million. Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law that will put additional pressure on scofflaws to pay up. First, it could start the vehicle suspension process if the tolls are not paid after several notices. It also lowers the dollar amount that would trigger a registration suspension from $500 to $250, and allows the Turnpike Commission to go back five years in suspending registrations rather than the current three years. Mark Compton, the Turnpike’s chief executive officer, said the new law will “maximize chances of collecting from those who think it’s OK to ride free. We are here to tell you, it isn’t.” Whether tolls are too high or the Turnpike Commission effectively manages its money are debates worth having. But the simple fact is that if you travel on toll roads, you have to pay for it, just like everyone else.
HIT: Manuel Pihakis was a lifelong resident of Canonsburg and seemed to have a presence in almost every aspect of the borough throughout his 89 years. A wrestling star when he was young, Pihakis served as Canonsburg’s mayor, was the president of the board of trustees at the Frank Sarris Public Library, was a veteran member of the Canon-McMillan School Board, a member of Canonsburg’s All Saints Greek Orthodox Church, a teacher and athletic director. Following his death last weekend after a lifetime of accomplishment, Pete Moniodes, the president of the Canon-McMillan School Board, summed up Pihakis this way: “He was proud of the community. He was a pillar of the community, and he wanted to see good things happen in Canonsburg and Canon-McMillan. He bled blue and gold. He just wanted to see the community advance and grow, to see good thing happen here.” Canonsburg was fortunate to have Pihakis’ energy and service.
HIT: Voters in the Norwin School District in Westmoreland County displayed a great deal of sense by soundly rejecting a ballot referendum Tuesday that would have eviscerated funding for the community library that serves North Huntingdon, Irwin and North Irwin. Sixty-four percent of voters said no to a proposal that would have lowered the library tax from 1.2 mills to just 0.2 mills and costs just $22 per household every year. Supporters of the referendum argued that the library is no longer as necessary in an age of iPhones and laptops, but libraries are so much more than repositories of information. They also serve as community centers. And, of course, not everyone can afford iPhones or laptops, which can become obsolete or fritz out very quickly. Libraries continue to stand, no matter how the technological seasons change. If any other communities were considering gutting their library funding, the abject failure of the effort in Westmoreland County will hopefully discourage them.