On the "Watch List": The Larimer fire deaths. Five children, ages 3 to 7, will be buried Saturday. Match-play is thought to have caused the 1:23 a.m. Tuesday fire. The children had been left alone. There was talk of an AWOL baby sitter. But investigators can't confirm one existed. The children's two mothers were "out" for the evening. If this indeed is the scenario, may God help these mothers. Laurel: To all the U.S. Open entrepreneurs. The Department of Homeland Security may not like it. The USGA may not like it. And police in Oakmont and Plum may not like it. But selling yard space for parking places to turn a tidy buck during special events is an American tradition. Instead of cracking down on these folks, local officials would serve the public better by leaving them alone. And while these budding parking tycoons are at it, throwing in a hot dog stand or two wouldn't be a bad idea. Lance: To the USGA. It is not allowing those attending the U.S. Open to bring their own drinking water onto the course. Plenty, however, is available from 13 concession stands -- at $2.50 a bottle. Not that this crowd -- paying about $100 a ticket -- will have any trouble affording the water. True, temperatures for this year's event will be much cooler than the 1994 tournament, when water tankers had to be brought in. But temperatures in the 80s and a hot sun are nothing to dismiss. This is a matter of public health; patrons should be allowed to bring in their own water. Lance: To the post-Kenny Chesney clean-up efforts. The country star headlined a big show last Saturday at Heinz Field. Tens of thousands of fans attended. And they left behind lots of trash. And a lot of that trash -- and lots of broken glass -- remained strewn over a wide swath of the North Shore Tuesday morning . There's no excuse. Lance: To Jon Delano. KDKA's intrepid political reporter, citing "sources," says Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl crashed a private American Express party for golfer Tiger Woods in April at Oakmont Country Club, site of this week's U.S. Open. Whoa! Stop the presses! Let's break into regular programming! Well, maybe not. If the story sounds familiar, it should: The Trib first noted the incident six weeks ago in its intrepid Sunday Whispers column. "Sources," indeed. What's Mr. Delano's next big "citing-sources" story going to be• Watch Delano at the end of July; he should have this Sunday's Trib digested by then. An observation: Gambling officials are touting how the first slots casinos to open are making more money than predicted, at least early on. Of course, for the state to "make" money from gamblers they must lose money. Something to keep in mind as the rah-rah-sis-boom-bahing is unleashed.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---