Lances, with emphasis, and set apart: To Ron Suber and Allegheny County Judge Donald Machen.
The former, an ex-Pittsburgh School Board member -- its president for three years -- pleaded guilty to raping a 7-year-old girl in 2001.
Words are not sufficient. We pray that she receives all the help she needs and is not ruined by this violation of her humanity. But she may be ruined, and the crime is beyond comprehension. Some things cannot be fixed.
Yet, with the power to take Suber off the street -- now -- Judge Machen permitted an admitted child molester to remain free pending sentencing.
Whyâ¢
Suber disgraced his legacy as a former school board member and may well remain a clear and present danger to the community. It was in that very community, which Suber supposedly has strong ties to -- indeed it was in his very home where his wife was baby-sitting the child -- where he found his helpless victim.
There is no defense for Judge Machen's failure to protect the health and safety of our young ones and to act with swift justice. Only rage.
Laurel: To the Pittsburgh oversight board. The Act 47 panel had a deal with City Council and the Murphy administration to cut $33 million from the city budget. Not so fast, says the oversight panel. Rejecting the budget, members say $50 million is more like it. That sum still isn't enough, but the overseers are heading in the right direction. Of course, the union screaming already has begun. And why not⢠Isn't the chief purpose of city government to provide jobs for the rank and fileâ¢
Laurel, for the entertainment value: To everyone vying for the pot o' gold. Now that slots are legal, the race is on for the government's permission to grab at the brass ring. In the latest wrinkle, Harrah's Entertainment Inc. may bid for Pittsburgh's sole stand-alone slots license. And the projected revenues are being sliced up as thin as Isaly's chipped-chopped ham. Watch the fracas, folks, and get a chuckle. And when slots do arrive, do us a favor and don't lose the baby's formula money, or the cash for grandma's heart pills.
Laurel: To the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta. By all indications it was a magnificent success on Independence Day weekend -- organized at no cost to the struggling city. Hundreds of thousands attended the summertime spectacular. The Regatta, formerly in August, was combined with the July 4 celebrations to save money. Private initiative saved the day, and of that, we should all be proud.
