Greensburg Laurels & Lances

Lance: To gagging the public. A majority of Hempfield Area school board members have voted to settle a grievance filed by a fired basketball coach rather than go to arbitration. And, as is contemptibly customary in these matters, a gag order prohibits the public's elected representatives from discussing the case or revealing any settlement details. All of which are now moot because the deal is done.

Once again, the quaint notion that taxpayer-funded schools are "public" is spun on its head.

Lance: Hempfield Area school board's techies . The majority voted to squander $23,000 over three years for GPS devices in 16 maintenance vehicles to keep tabs on workers -- some of whom reportedly indulge in prolonged "coffee breaks" and other time-wasting activities. And should anyone who's creatively lazy find a way to beat this system, what's the next cost for taxpayers• This is not a "high-tech" problem. It's a matter of good old-fashioned supervision .

Lance: To farm thieves: Thefts from local agriculture businesses reached an appalling low with the removal of two tractors, along with other equipment, from a locked barn at King Nursery in Unity. Sadly it appears the use of surveillance cameras, one farmer's solution, might well become the norm instead of the exception.

Congratulations: To Franklin Regional High School's marching band. The band, which has played twice in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, has been invited to perform in the 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., in 2012. Here's to hitting those high notes!

Laurel: To Greensburg neighbors of a Spring Street playground. Some 5th Ward residents want to reclaim the playground, which they say has become a hot spot for drug dealing and vandalism. By working more closely with city officials and police, exposing illegal activity when they see it, residents can take back ownership of what's rightfully theirs.

An observation: Noe Tovar Baltazar, the illegal Mexican alien convicted of an attempted carjacking in Murrysville, apparently knows more English than he let on during court proceedings. He cost county taxpayers more than $1,700 for an interpreter yet managed -- supposedly with the help of another inmate -- to write a letter to the Trib in coherent English disputing the charge. It requires no translation to detect this deception -- and collect what is owed.