‘America’s Dad’ now a convicted sex offender

A look 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 Bill Cosby. He was Cliff Huxtable, “America’s Dad.” Now he’s a convicted felon, guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman. He could wind up spending the rest of his life in prison once he is sentenced.

DART: To the scorched Earth tactics of the Cosby defense team, clearly trying to victim-shame and humiliate the women who came forward to offer similar accusations against him.

DART: To Sunoco. There is more trouble along the path of the Mariner East 2 pipeline. The state has shut down construction in Middletown Township after another series of spills.

LAUREL: To the ferocious band of residents who continue to battle against the plan that put this $2.5 billion project carrying volatile gases such as ethane, butane and propane through densely populated neighborhoods, in close proximity to schools and senior centers.

LAUREL: To the community behind the badge. Since the tragic sudden death of Newtown Police Sgt. Clinton Cunningham, a small army of family, friends and law enforcement brothers and sisters have joined ranks to support the Cunningham family. They are indeed “Forever Blue.”

DART: Too often the only time we see police officers get this kind of attention is when they are doing something wrong. Is there evidence of that? Sure? We’ve all seen any number of videos that support the point of view. But we too often lose sight that these men and women have lives outside their uniform, and that badge does not protect them from the same kind of daily travails that all of us deal with every day.

LAUREL: To all those who will gather tonight at the Springfield Country Club for a special fundraiser to aid the Cunningham family, please know that you are doing a wonderful thing, and that your efforts are being noted.

DART: To this week’s chilling saga from the Main Line. Two women are now dead, two families dumbstruck in an instant of madness. It’s clear there are a lot of issues at play in this tragedy, with infidelity being at the top of the list. But it does not stop us all from wondering what else could have been done to stop this senseless act.

LAUREL: To Upper Darby state Rep. Jamie Santora, R-163. Increasingly Santora is showing a keen sense of commonsense actions that need to be addressed in Harrisburg. He’s already been active in pushing new gun control legislation. This week he was airing his ideas for expanding rehab and treatment programs for those battling opioid and other substance abuse. It is clearly the No. 1 issue facing too many of our communities. He was joined in his effort by Rep. Chris Quinn, R-168 of Middletown, and Rep. Steve Barrar, R-160 of Concord. Good for them.

LAUREL: To Charlie Tong. The sixth grader from East Lansdowne Elementary School was one of those honored for her efforts toward shining a light on the county’s opioid issue at last Saturday’s Celebrating Prevention Community Day last weekend at Rose Tree Park.

LAUREL: To Ridley Township. They took the wraps off their new library, featuring 14,000 square feet of space behind the township administration building on MacDade Boulevard. The $5.1 million structure is a solid investment in the community, with a series of grants covering $600,000 of the cost.

LAUREL: To Delaware County. This week the county stepped up to the plate to help local communities with the overwhelming battle they are facing in repairing roads after another brutal winter and the normal pockmarking of roads due to potholes.

DART: They can’t fill these things in fast enough. It’s a little bit like an obstacle course out there trying to avoid these road menaces. Some of them are big enough to fill in and use as swimming pools. Better get to them before the weather turns.

LAUREL: To late federal Judge Norma Shapiro. She guided the troubled Chester Housing Authority through a marathon 20-year transformation. Now her efforts are remembered and her legacy recalled with the naming of the Chester building that houses the authority in her name as the Norma L. Shapiro Building. Welldeserved.

DART: To the Grandview Golf Club in York. They chased a group of African-American women who were playing the course last weekend, apparently under the guise that they were playing “too slow.” Only problem is there seems to be scant evidence that “slow play” was an issue. After a couple of warnings, the course informed the women they had to leave, when they refused, the club called police. Luckily, no arrests occurred in this incident. Coming on the heels of all the upheaval surrounding the Starbucks fiasco in Philadelphia, not exactly what we needed this week.

LAUREL: To Jimmy May. The legendary tailor and costume designer from Ridley gained some fame by designing the Mummers suit worn by Eagles center Jason Kelce at the Birds’ Super Bowl victory parade celebration. Now May is planning to market the ornate hats that Kelce sported. LAUREL: To another great year for the Partners in Education Celebration. This year’s party, at which the All-Delco Hi-Q teams and Excellence in Teaching winners are feted, came with a tinge of sadness. Longtime Franklin Mint CEO John Unangst, who was the inspiration behind the event, passed away earlier this year. John was posthumously entered into the Hi-Q Hall of Fame.

LAUREL: To the Sixers. The Process has discovered the playoffs. The Sixers put away the Miami Heat to advance to the next round of the NBA tournament. Looks like the Eagles magic is rubbing of on these guys.

LAUREL: To Brett Brown. Two years ago the Sixers won 10 games and lost 72. This year they went 52-30 and seem primed for a long push into the post-season. You have to feel good for Brown, a basketball lifer who never wavered at any point in the process, even when saddled with talent that would have struggled at the major college level.

DART: To the Flyers. They played three games at the Wells Fargo Center and gave up 18 goals in getting blown out by the arch-rival Penguins. And they blew a 4-2 lead in coughing up the crucial game 5 on home ice.

DART: To Flyers captain Claude Giroux. There is one thing a pro athlete cannot do in this town. Giroux had a great regular season, then was largely invisible in the series against the Penguins. Giroux indicated players might press a bit too hard at home to please the fans and avoid the showers of boos they sometimes hear. Sorry, Claude, that does not fly.