Jul 5, 2024 4 min read

MISS: On Thursday, America celebrated its independence with plenty of hot dogs – the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that 150 million hot dogs are consumed on that day alone – and lots and lots of fireworks. Though the extent of the rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air on the Fourth of July probably can’t be precisely calculated, surely more and more of them have been fired off as many states, including Pennsylvania, have relaxed their laws about the purchase of consumer-grade fireworks like bottle rockets and Roman candles. Pennsylvania’s less-restrictive law was signed in 2017 by Gov. Tom Wolf, and it was done primarily to reap the additional tax revenue the sale of the pyrotechnics generates. The downside, however, is that the Fourth of July seems to be followed inevitably by reports the day after of injuries and fires caused by the reckless use of fireworks. Last year, about 10,000 people ended up in emergency rooms around the country as a result of fireworks-related accidents, and the National Fire Protection Association estimates that more than $40 million in property damage is caused annually by fireworks. Undoubtedly, many people will be tempted to shoot off additional fireworks today and throughout the weekend, and we can only urge that this be done with the utmost caution. Something State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook said last year also bears repeating: “The safest way to enjoy fireworks … is to enjoy fireworks displays managed by professionals.”

HIT: The most important event in the United States 70 years ago today passed with no headlines and little notice outside the individuals who were immediately involved. It was on July 5, 1954, a Monday after the Fourth of July, that Elvis Presley entered a recording studio in Memphis, Tenn., to record a few songs for producer Sam Phillips so that Phillips could issue them on his Sun Records label. Legend has it that the session was plodding along until Presley and his fellow musicians started goofing around on the blues tune “That’s All Right.” It was then that Phillips stopped what he was doing, and told them to do it again as he rolled the tapes. Presley’s meteoric rise began not long after on the strength of “That’s All Right,” and with it the whole revolution that rock and roll brought to America and the world. What happened seven decades ago today makes us think of the so-called butterfly effect, where the flapping of a single butterfly’s wings can set off a chain of events that can ultimately cause a hurricane.

MISS: In its capacity as the county’s elections board, the Washington County Board of Commissioners raised the ire of many residents earlier this year when it decided to not allow voters to “cure” mail-in ballots that might contain minor errors, such as the lack of a date or no signature. All told, 286 votes in the April primary election were not counted as a result. All the Pennsylvania counties bordering Washington County contact voters and allow them to fix these mistakes, and Washington County’s refusal to do so seems petty and mean. Now, the whole matter is going to court as a result of a lawsuit filed against the county this week by the ACLU of Pennsylvania. It is acting on behalf of seven voters whose votes were tossed out as a result of minor errors, such as there being no signature or date. The suit alleges that voters’ inability to cure their ballots violates the state constitution’s guarantee of due process. The plaintiffs believe the suit could have statewide implications, and if it establishes a standard for all 67 counties for dealing with mail-in ballots with minor mistakes, then everyone will be all the better for it.