Laurel: The Cambria County Bar Foundation, charitable arm of the county Bar Association, is offering free legal help to first responders. A group of lawyers will be at the former B. Moss store in The Galleria in Richland Township from noon until 4 p.m. today to draw up living wills, powers of attorney and simple wills. The service will be offered to police officers, firefighters and EMTs/paramedics and their spouses. What a wonderful gesture.
Barb: President Obama’s track record in lining up advisers and Cabinet nominees has been unbelievably poor. Just last week, another one bit the dust, and with our blessing. Van Jones, the White House’s environmental adviser, had been under fire for so many reasons, chief among them his past associations with radical groups and inflammatory statements about Republicans. He has even been linked to efforts suggesting a government role in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In resigning, Jones said he “understood that he was going to get in the way” of the president’s agenda , White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. We hope Obama starts being more selective when making future choices.
Laurel: We like Ebensburg Borough’s new marketing campaign and its upbeat slogan: “A great place to live, work and play.” We’re sure it is, and with the borough’s rejuvenated downtown, tree-lined streets and other major improvements, officials and residents alike have every reason to crow. “We decided that we wanted to market the borough in a way that shows all the things we have here – recreation, a beautiful downtown and, in all, a wonderful place to live,” said Christine Strugala, community development director. The campaign will include newspaper, television, radio and billboard advertising. A great place, too, for a county seat.
Barb: With today’s strict auditing standards, it’s hard to imagine how a tax collector could steal nearly $300,000 in receipts over a five-year period. But that’s what 62-year-old Sharon Littlefield did. She served two McKean County municipalities for 25 years before being caught, charged, and sentenced last week to eight to 23 1⁄2 months in jail. The good news is that Littlefield has already repaid a total of $132,000 to Otto Township and Eldred Borough. Where were the checks and balances? No wonder we hear constant calls for major changes in tax collection methods.
Laurel: The Johnstown Trojans have a storied history in high school athletics. Yet another milestone was reached last Saturday when its football team notched the program’s 600th win, over visiting Cambria Heights. The Trojans’ first win was way back in 1898 over South Fork. With last Saturday’s victory, the school became the 19th in Pennsylvania to reach the 600 plateau. Three cheers.
Barb: Talk about a major oversight. A Mount Holly, N.J., pharmacy technician is suing over a training drill in which a gunman burst into the pharmacy at which she worked, demanded OxyContin and announced he was taking a hostage. As we mentioned, it was only a drill, but the 46-year-old technician said she had not been told in advance and thought is was the real deal. In her suit, she said she had been traumatized. Yikes.
