Another week, another mass shooting
Alook at the week that was, the issues and people who made headlines, and a few darts and laurels for those who deserve them.
DART: To Stephen Paddock. Was there any doubt? Congratulations, you now sit at the top of the heap, having single-handedly inflicted the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. The toll now stands at 59 dead and more than 500 wounded when you opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel on a crowd at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip below. Of course, you saved your final act for last, taking your own life. We have no idea what motivated you to commit such an atrocity. It was the coward’s way out, just as your attack on unsuspecting citizens was.
DART: To those who still don’t think it’s time to talk about gun laws in this country. No, that doesn’t mean repeal of the Second Amendment. We hope by now everyone realized that is not going to happen, nor should it necessarily. But to allow one person to amass the kind of firepower Paddock had assembled in that hotel room borders on lunacy. Surely this is not what the founding fathers meant when they talked about a well-regulated militia.
LAUREL: To Chief Bob Adams. With 10 years as top cop in Collingdale, and nearly four decades in law enforcement, he’s hanging up his badge. Adams was one of the good guys. We add our salute. Don’t be a stranger, chief.
LAUREL: To the legacy of Michael Reagan Jr. Last week family, friends and officials in Sharon Hill gathered on the 10-year anniversary of his death to rename a borough street in Reagan’s honor. Michael Regan Way will stand as a reminder of the 19-year-old volunteer firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty. And as a reminder to us all of the value of community service.
DART: To the dearth of young volunteers. For a variety of reasons, people are not volunteering the way they once did. The result is a near crisis-level of short staffing among first responders.
LAUREL: To the volunteers and leaders of the Thresholds organization. For nearly four decades, these dedicated volunteers have been offering a second chance to inmates here in Delaware County. They provide one-on-one tutoring on problem-solving and decision-making, literally providing a path to a new start. Well done.
DART: To the fact that like so many volunteer organizations, the need is great, but the number willing to volunteer does not keep up. Consider being an important part of one of the most important tenets of our criminal justice system: The notion of a second chance.
DART: Yes, it’s time for our weekly jab at our legislators in Harrisburg. This time we will specifically focus on the Republican leadership in the House. They have spurned the Senate funding package for the long-overdue state budget, mostly because they oppose a new tax on the state’s natural gas drillers. So far this week they have tried to stick it to storage facilities, and even considered doubling the hotel tax. None of them have worked out so far. Not Gov. Tom Wolf has tired of waiting for them to take action and instead is “drawing a line in the sane.” For starters, he’s skimming off money from the Liquore Control Board profits to patch the current deficit.
LAUREL: To Penn State Brandywine. They held a celebration last weekend to mark their 50th anniversary. This year marks a first as well for the Middletown campus – the school opened its first dorm for students. Kids took part in a variety of service projects to mark the school’s half-century point.
LAUREL: To the folks down at Penn Terminals in Eddystone. Last week they came together and loaded an entire cargo ship with emergency supplies destined for hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. Some of the employees were doing so with heavy hearts, still waiting for word from relatives on the battered island.
LAUREL: To Marple Newtown. Good news for school district. They’ve won a court fight that will allow them to collect more tax revenue from SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery. It’s the result of a settlement in a tax dispute between the district, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and subsidiaries of Stone-Mor Partners LP, the for-profit entity that now operates archdiocesan cemeteries.
LAUREL: To Radnor and Haverford school districts. Their students are leading the way in achieving top ranks in statewide standardized assessment tests.
LAUREL: To the folks at Penn Machine Works out in Aston. This familyowned business found itself in the national spotlight in the wake of the rollout of the GOP tax plan last week when House Speaker Paul Ryan paid a visit to push the plan. The Wisconsin Republican said the plan would help small businesses like Penn Machine level the playing field when it comes to competition overseas.
DART: To the NHL. The Flyers kicked off their new season – on the West Coast. How many people stayed up for a game that started at 10:30? Have to put this schedule on ice.
LAUREL: To Doug Pederson. Everyone was climbing all over the Eagles coach the first two weeks of the season for abandoning the run and some of his decisions. Now Pederson is 3-1 and has the Eagles alone in first place in the NFC East. Never doubted you for a minute, coach.
LAUREL: To LeGarrette Blount. The free agent signing went “beast mode” against the Chargers, running roughshod over the Chargers and refusing to be brought down after initial contact. This is a guy with something to prove.
LAUREL: To Eagles fans. The soccer stadium where the Chargers will play for three years while they build a new stadium outside Los Angeles holds about 28,000 tops. The StubHub Arena was a sea of green Sunday as the Philly Phaithful traveled across the country to take over the place. Even the Chargers were saying it was like playing a road game. Nobody travels like Eagles fans.
DART: To Fox Sports commentator Colin Cowherd. This week – after that showing of Philly fans in L.A. – he decided to castigate Philly as the “dumbest sports fans in the world” and used as proof the fact that Andy Reid and Terry Francona are no longer coaching here. Yo, Colin, did you even look at their records at the time those moves were made? It was the right call in both instances. And the attack on Philly fans is just plain old.