Cheers & Jeers
Jeers: State Rep. Matthew Dowling, a Uniontown Republican, had planned on running for a fourth term this fall and likely would have won, given the leanings of his district and the fact that he romped to victory in 2020 with a commanding 68% of the vote. But his plans came undone after drunken driving charges were filed against him last week after a June 4 crash where his blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit for driving. The accident happened just one day after Dowling was given his driver蘑菇视频 license again following a crash last October that left him hospitalized for several weeks. The state representative said he experienced a diabetic emergency in that incident. He now wants his name taken off the November ballot and he said he will step down when his term is up. While Dowling deserves credit for making what he called 鈥渟ome hard decisions鈥� and 鈥渇ocusing on family and my personal journey to wellness,鈥� he would have made life much easier for his fellow Republicans if he had decided to embark on that path before seeking reelection.
Jeers: Another week, another mass shooting, this one in Highland Park, Ill., a Chicago suburb. Seven people were senselessly slaughtered and many more wounded by another young man who was able to get his hands on high-powered weaponry all too easily. The sense of outrage, numbness and demoralization Americans feel after mass shootings has become all too familiar, coming fast on the heels of the mass murders in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker perfectly summed up the feelings of many when he said, 鈥淚鈥檓 furious that yet more innocent lives were taken by gun violence. While we celebrate the Fourth of July, just once a year, mass shootings have become our weekly 鈥� yes, weekly 鈥� American tradition. There are going to be people who say that today is not the day, that now is not the time, to talk about guns. I鈥檓 telling you there is no better day and no better time than right here and right now.鈥� Standing in stark contrast was Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey, who blithely said in a Facebook Live video, 鈥渓et蘑菇视频 move on and let蘑菇视频 celebrate the independence of this nation.鈥� Bailey later apologized, but urging people to just 鈥渕ove on鈥� after the shooting displayed remarkable callousness.
Cheers: The streets of Washington will come to life Friday and Saturday for the annual Whiskey Rebellion Festival, which will be returning this year in full force after being canceled in 2020 and scaled down in 2021. Visitors will be able to sip wine, whiskey and vodka, sample delicacies from food trucks, witness reenactments and street theater performances, enjoy live music and historic tours. The festival celebrates the area蘑菇视频 heritage and is one of Washington County蘑菇视频 biggest festivals. After long months of pandemic restrictions, being able to attend a festival like this is an opportunity everyone should welcome.
Cheers: The summer of 1972 was the time when Title IX was signed into law, Democrat George McGovern蘑菇视频 presidential campaign stumbled out of the gate after a disorganized, raucous convention, and five operatives working for President Richard Nixon蘑菇视频 reelection were arrested in a bungled burglary at the Watergate hotel. It was also the first time the Pennsylvania State Police opened its ranks to female troopers, and Thursday marked the 50th anniversary of the first class of women to graduate from the Pennsylvania State Police Academy. The surviving members of the class were honored at a ceremony in Harrisburg that day. Fifty years later, 314 members of the state police are women. That蘑菇视频 a relatively small number in a contingent that includes more than 4,000 sworn members, but it does demonstrate tangible progress.