Hits and Misses
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Boyke Budiarachman was shot and killed Nov. 5 in the parking lot of Rostraver Square in Westmoreland County. Authorities have released few details about the case since his death.
vote
When a murder happens and a suspect is captured, officials typically make the name of both the suspect and the victim a matter of public record. And they do so promptly. But authorities in Westmoreland County have been unusually reluctant to release the name of a man who was killed in the parking lot of the Rostraver Square strip mall near Belle Vernon almost two weeks ago. The name of the victim, 49-year-old Boyke Budiarachman, was identified only through social media posts memorializing him, and the suspect arrested in his killing, 55-year-old Keven Van Lam, was uncovered by a staff writer for the Observer-Reporter because his name is on an order sealing the case. The charges Lam is facing and other details of the case have been kept out of public view. Why all the secrecy? The bare bones of the case should be a matter of public record as a matter of course. Melissa Melewsky, an attorney with the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, said that “there are some basic things that should be made public,” and Westmoreland County officials have not done their job in this regard.
For many people, gambling is a fun and harmless diversion. But, for some, gambling can be as addictive as drugs or alcohol. So addictive, in fact, that some parents or guardians have left children in vehicles or hotel rooms unattended while they gamble in a nearby casino. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said they have recorded 269 incidents involving 441 minors since the start of 2022, with 68 of those minors being 6 years old or under. Last year, there were 171 incidents involving 279 minors. In response, the Gaming Control Board is launching an awareness campaign aimed at parents and the general public. Kevin O’Toole, the board’s executive director, said, “Ultimately, we want everyone to understand the scope of this problem and know what to do if confronted with a situation in a parking lot, hotel or elsewhere. That is, immediately report the situation to casino or hotel security, who have extensive training on how to appropriately respond.” Gambling for a big prize is never, ever worth gambling with the safety of children.
Rivers of ink have been spilled in the last 10 days about what happened in the midterm elections, how Democrats defied historical trends and did not sustain bruising losses, and how many polls and the media narrative got the outcome of the election so wrong. In the election’s aftermath, we were struck by a comment made by Tony Norman during a post-election forum put on by the California campus of Pennsylvania Western University Tuesday. The columnist with NEXTpittsburgh and formerly with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted voters have agency and are the ones who ultimately decide elections, not pundits and pollsters. Norman said, “I think voters are a lot more sophisticated than we give them credit for. They deserve to have the last word. … Nothing is settled and we might be pleasantly surprised by the outcome, and that’s what makes our democracy very dynamic. I have a lot of hope right now.”