As president of the Malt Beverage Distributors Association (MBDA), I want to thank the editors of The Tribune-Demo-crat for noting that beer distributors do a great job in preventing sales to minors (“Rooting for Sheetz,” May 27). And we also agree that the right way to improve the system of selling alcoholic beverages in the state is through change in state law.
Our gripe – which we have taken to the state Supreme Court – is that companies such as Sheetz and Wegmans that want to sell beer should abide by the same laws our members do, not try to drive a beer truck through loopholes.
For instance, Sheetz has its gas pumps on one property deed and its convenience store on another to skirt the law prohibiting beer sales at gas stations.
There is one sentence in the editorial the MBDA believes is in error: “Consumers find fewer product choices and higher prices than they do at stores in neighboring states such as New York, Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia.”
I think any fair survey would show just the opposite. Most Pennsylvania state stores carry more items than the typical liquor or wine store in any neighboring state.
In the case of beer distributors, almost any Pennsylvania distributor will carry more brands and styles of beer in more kinds of packaging – cans, bottles or kegs – that any typical carryout store or supermarket in another state.
And the prices are extremely competitive, even though Pennsylvania distributors typically work on a very small markup.
Dave Shipula
President, Malt Beverage
Distributors Association
Wilkes-Barre
Police response was too little, too late
During the night of May 18, downspouts were stolen off the downtown church I attend.
The downspouts were copper. The assumption is that whoever stole them sold them as scrap metal. Copper is pretty pricey these days. The six downspouts totaled about 72 feet. It probably took some time to remove them, and surely some noise was made.
Now it has been reported that thieves are going into cemeteries and stealing the flag-stands from the graves of military veterans. Pretty ghoulish, huh? The assumption again is that the brass and copper markers are attractive as scrap metal.
I don’t have a background in law enforcement, and I’m not foolish enough to suggest that the police should be patrolling cemeteries in the middle of the night, hunting for scrap-metal thieves. But my church is in a part of the city that’s well-lighted and well-traveled enough that the people who stole the downspouts must’ve been either very desperate or pretty confident the police wouldn’t be around to catch them.
What’s really bugging me is whether the police checked the scrap yards?
I found out they did. They called one. But seven are listed in the yellow pages.
On a recent newscast I heard that police now are “occasionally” calling some reclamation yards, keeping abreast on what’s being sold as scrap.
Just in the nick of time.
Carl Schultz
Johnstown
‘Fab Five’ directors misleading taxpayers
In response to the letter on May 29 about the decision of the Central Cambria school board, we parents are not afraid that our children will be “scarred” by staying in the elementary schools. However, we are unwilling to send our seventh- and eighth-graders to the high school.
Kids grow up too fast as it is; we don’t need to rush them.
I believe Deanna Hobba is sadly misinformed about the decision these five directors have made. This option is not going to keep our taxes down, it is the most expensive option other than building a new school.
Perhaps Hobba should attend a school board meeting and see firsthand what her “Fab Five” are up to. They are not as concerned with the children, they are only looking out for their own personal interests.
I agree that not everyone can afford a tax increase, but thanks to the state’s gaming revenues, we will be getting a substantial amount of money back this year. Perhaps we should use this money toward a better facility for our children and keep them together from sixth through eighth grades. This concept has worked well in our district for more than 30 years, why change a good thing?
If you are in favor of keeping the middle school concept, come to the June 9 school board meeting at 7 p.m. in the high school.
Let’s show the “Fab Five” what we really think of their idea.
Gayle Devlin
Jackson Township
Safety of children is first priority
Some people who write to the Readers’ Forum don’t dignify themselves enough to warrant a response, but I would like to set the record straight.
I went to a Windber Borough Council meeting to show council members pictures of broken sidewalks and curbing from coal trucks running on them and to complain about trucks traveling too fast on 21st Street.
Anybody with any common sense knows “racing up and down” is an expression. I was and am worried about the safety of our children when school is out. The newspaper never printed that. It just printed excerpts of other things said, because of the shock value and to sell newspapers. I was never interviewed by the paper. I took my concerns to a council meeting.
I have not forgotten that Windber was built on coal and trains. I worked on the railroad for 25 years, and for 10 of those years I was the union representative. If not for coal trucks and mining companies, my union members and I would not have had jobs.
Hoffman Farm Road was mentioned by numerous people before me, and I never said to run trucks on Ninth Street. That would be a tragedy.
If I have to be personally attacked in the newspaper with innuendo and half-truths for worrying about the safety of our children and town, I really don’t care. Children are the future. The trucks have started to slow down and maybe, just maybe, the safety of our town will be better.
Anthony “Naz” Taormina
Windber
Hornerstown residents taking pride in area
On May 10, members of the 7th Ward Crime Watch Group and YouthBuild Johnstown from Goodwill walked the streets and alleys of Hornerstown for five hours, picking up paper, cans, bottles, etc.
We are pleased to report we found less to pick up this year. Thank you for taking pride in your area.
We will return sometime this month to trim around utility poles and trees between the sidewalks and streets. Residences and businesses can help by trimming areas in front of their places.
Thanks to the contributions made last fall toward our expenses for cleanup, we were able to do this again.
Residents with leaves and grass trimmings can call 533-2061 for pickup.
May 17 was 7th Ward’s second Community Awareness Day. It was an enjoyable, informative day thanks to 7th Ward ambulance association, Johnstown Police Department, K-9 Corps, bicycle inspection and registration, Special Emergency Response Team, Johnstown Fire Department, SeniorLIFE, Mom’s House, YWCA, YouthBuild, First Commonwealth Bank, Johnstown Senior Center, Victim Services Inc., Head Start, WIC, Mike Messina, Red Cross, Area Agency on Aging, YMCA, finger-painting and crime watch.
Thank you SeniorLIFE, Mark Irwin and Barbara Penna for sponsoring new crime watch shirts.
Future events will be a night out on Aug. 5 and a turkey raffle in November.
Gaynell Knowlton
Johnstown
