Cheers & Jeers
蘑菇视频
蘑菇视频
State Rep. Matt Dowling, R-Uniontown, speaks in this file photo from 2020.
Celeste Van Kirk
Vehicles travel through the roundabout in Bentleyville in this file photo from 2019.
Cheers: A local program is helping to stamp out food insecurity through help from a popular food delivery service. The Greater Washington County Food Bank recently partnered with DoorDash to deliver boxes of food to older residents in Washington County. Called Project DASH, the program has grown from delivering 350 boxes monthly to 1,000 monthly. The shelf-stable staples in the boxes include canned fruits and vegetables and packages of pasta. In June, Greene County joined the program, and Fayette County plans to establish the program in the coming months through the Fayette County Community Action food bank. Partnerships like these are important to help those in the community who find themselves both in need and limited in their ability to travel to food distributions.
Cheers: State Rep. Matthew Dowling of Uniontown brought embarrassment upon himself and quite possibly brought his political career to a conclusion in June when he was in a drunken driving accident. When Dowling rear-ended another vehicle in Fayette County蘑菇视频 South Union Township, his blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit. Since the accident, Dowling has acknowledged his problem and sought help. He also ended his reelection bid. Before leaving the Legislature, Dowling has put forward an interesting proposal that would allow individuals who have a drinking problem to put themselves on a voluntary self-exclusion list. Basically, it would prevent them from purchasing alcoholic beverages, and be just like the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board蘑菇视频 self-exclusion list for problem gamblers. Dowling explained, 鈥淪imply passing a liquor store can be a trigger for an individual. Not for every person who suffers from alcoholism, but for a lot of them, just being able to go in becomes a trigger. This may be able to help some of them ward off those urges.鈥�
Jeers: During an interview with Scott Pelley on 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� last Sunday, President Biden declared the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Indeed, it does seem that the larger public has decided not to fret too much about it anymore 鈥� masks are few and far between even in crowded public places, and those who have been vaccinated and boosted can feel some sense of comfort that contracting COVID-19 will likely not kill them or put them in the hospital. Nevertheless, the pandemic isn鈥檛 over. The average count of new cases in the United States is about 60,000 per day, enough to fill a stadium. There are also 400 people still dying each day from COVID-19. As The Washington Post reported earlier this week, the president蘑菇视频 seemingly off-the-cuff remark could end up complicating efforts to nudge more Americans into getting booster shots, and for the Biden administration to get additional funding to combat the coronavirus.
Cheers: When roundabouts were introduced on some roads in the region in the 2010s, some drivers felt apprehensive as they approached them. Though common in European countries, roundabouts have largely been absent from American roads. But it only takes a couple of trips through a roundabout to feel more comfortable with them, and according to data released this week by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), roundabouts have reduced crashes, fatalities and injuries at 33 locations that were replaced by 36 roundabouts. From 2002 to 2021, according to PennDOT, serious injuries were reduced by 76%, and minor injuries were reduced by 22%. PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said, 鈥淲e continue to see that Pennsylvania蘑菇视频 roundabouts save lives and reduce crash severity. While they aren鈥檛 the right option in every intersection, we鈥檙e pleased that they help make our roadways safer.鈥�