Cheers & Jeers
Courtesy of Lisa Brennen / LB Photography
Sixteen-year-old Chloe Brennen of Waynesburg is currently preparing for a trip to Fort Worth, Texas, where she will soon compete in The Junior American Patriot Event Finale. Chloe and her 10-year-old horse, Fivestar Tiny Bobby, will attempt to win in the barrel racing and pole bending categories.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Though some professionals advise heavy drinkers to not indulge in booze-free beer, a 0.0 brew still counts as a Dry January drink option. In recent years, alcohol-free beer has upped its game, and many breweries offer N.A. beer so good it tastes like the real thing.
Cheers: Hard work and dedication is paying off for Chloe Brennen, avid horse lover, longtime rider and 16-year-old daughter of Matt and Lisa Brennen of Waynesburg. Chloe is preparing for a trip to Fort Worth, Texas, where she and her 10-year-old horse, Fivestar Tiny Bobby, will compete in The Junior American Patriot Event Finale in the barrel racing and pole bending categories. She will compete against the best youth athletes across the world the first week in March. We applaud Chloe for her commitment to excellence and her drive to succeed, and we wish her the best in her upcoming competition.
Cheers: Kudos go out to a trio of local athletes 鈥� Connellsville graduate Johnny Lujack, Frazier graduate Chad Salisbury and Mount Pleasant graduate Bob Gorinski 鈥� for being selected to be part of the 15th class of the WPIAL Hall of Fame. Lujack, who was a four-sport star in high school, is the oldest living Heisman Trophy winner. He won the award in 1947 while playing for Notre Dame and won three national championships with the Fighting Irish. Salisbury was a three-sport star for the Commodores who went on to quarterback in college at New Mexico and Buffalo before playing eight seasons in the Arena Football League. Gorinski led the Vikings to the 1970 WPIAL baseball championship as a shortstop and rushed for 3,350 career yards for Mount Pleasant蘑菇视频 football team. He was the first WPIAL player to be drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft in 1970 by the Minnesota Twins and played 10 professional seasons including one with the Twins. Also chosen among the 16 honorees was Monessen graduate Ron Tyburski as an official.
Cheers: Late last year, the California Board of Parole caused a stir when it recommended that Sirhan Sirhan, the 77-year-old assassin of U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy, be eligible for parole. This raised quite a few eyebrows, considering Sirhan蘑菇视频 notoriety and the cold-blooded nature of his crime. The final decision rested with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and he sensibly vetoed the parole board蘑菇视频 decision last week, noting that Kennedy蘑菇视频 murder 鈥渞obbed the world of a promising young leader鈥� and that Sirhan 鈥渉as not developed the accountability and insight required to support his safe release into the community.鈥� And even setting aside the life he took and the immeasurable pain he caused, how would a septuagenarian who has been behind bars since the 1960s possibly function in the 2020s? It蘑菇视频 best that he stays where he is.
Cheers: While January is typically the time when people try out new exercise equipment or diets, some area residents are taking a stab at self-improvement by participating in Dry January. It蘑菇视频 an international effort where participants abstain from alcohol throughout the month, and doing so can confer concrete benefits, a story in the Monday edition of the Observer-Reporter pointed out. People who have stayed sober report sleeping better, having more energy and better moods, and their cholesterol and glucose levels have dropped. Though the occasional drink shouldn鈥檛 pose a problem for most people, Dry January could be a gateway for people who have a less healthy relationship with alcohol to scale back their consumption or quit entirely.
Jeers: The motto 鈥渞ules for thee, but not for me鈥� has been adopted by all too many political figures who have flouted pandemic restrictions they either implemented or supported throughout the pandemic. The most prominent case right now is Boris Johnson, Britain蘑菇视频 prime minister. His premiership is hanging by a slender thread over 鈥淧artygate鈥� 鈥� revelations that parties happened at 10 Downing Street while his fellow countrymen were told to sequester themselves and limit contact with others in order to halt the spread of COVID-19. One of the parties even happened on the eve of Prince Phillip蘑菇视频 funeral last April. In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Johnson was told by a member of his own Conservative Party, 鈥淚n the name of God, go!鈥� If Johnson does in fact step down, it蘑菇视频 hard to imagine many other parties being more consequential.