Applause for law enforcement agencies next door in Armstrong County, where a seven-month investigation ended with a drug raid last week that netted about 200 bricks of heroin and more than 10,000 stamp bags.

More than 50 officers across Armstrong and Clarion counties participated in the early Thursday morning raid, which targeted more than two dozen suspects and took an estimated $200,000 worth of heroin off the streets.

Armstrong County District Attorney Scott Andreassi said the men and women arrested were responsible for trafficking millions of dollars worth of heroin, marijuana and cocaine.

Among the suspects was Shamon Beavers of Detroit, described by authorities as the highest-level dealer arrested. Andreassi said Beavers is responsible for at least $1.5 million worth of illegal drugs.

Andreassi and other police credited law-abiding residents for having the courage to speak up.

“It all starts with the citizens complaining and then giving us information — tips that we can go on,” the district attorney said. “Short term, it's going to be a huge impact. Long term, it's going to depend on continuing efforts like this one to maintain surveillance, intelligence and addition.”

It takes countless hours of volunteer work to maintain the seven baseball fields at Laura Doerr Park in Jefferson Township.It took some dumb thug in a Jeep less than a few minutes to wreck three of them.The anonymous vandal drove doughnuts over the infields and outfields of the Legion baseball field and Little League major and minor league fields, leaving about $20,000 worth of damage in his muddy wake.Tim Gallagher, president of the Saxonburg Area Baseball Association, called in an act of “pure vandalism.”The perpetrator went out of his way, knocking down a gate to inflict damage to the fields.“It's frustrating because we just put $9,000 worth of improvements on those fields at the beginning of last season to make the drainage better,” Gallagher said. “The infield is clay and the mix of chemicals applied to it was expensive. ... That money is pretty much thrown away now.”But it's not just the damage. It's also the insult. The vandal has offended not only the volunteers but also the 400 or so youth baseball players who use the fields in Laura Doerr Park.The association is offering a $100 reward for information leading to finding the perpetrator. Anyone with knowledge of the vandalism or wanting to make a donation should call Gallagher at 724-968-6397.

A Semper Fi cheer and thank-you to the Bantam Marine Detachment 743 of Butler and related volunteers for another successful Toys for Tots drive. The Marine Corps veterans and friends distributed Christmas gifts to the parents of nearly 2,500 needy children on Friday at Point Plaza Shopping Center in Butler Township.Special thanks to the Toys for Tots coordinators, Dennis Johnston and Jodi Johnston. Cheers also for the contributions from Butler County residents, businesses, service organizations and the Butler County United Labor Council.Since 1947, Toys for Tots has distributed more than 470 million toys to more than 220 million children across the country. It is a top-rated charity with 97 percent of every donation going directly to the purchase of toys, books and other gifts; only 3 percent is spent on fundraising expenses, and no donated funds pay for salaries or other manpower costs. And nothing says all-volunteer more clearly than an administrative budget of just 3 percent.Since 1995, Toys for Tots has been an official activity of the U.S. Marine Corps and an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve.It's difficult to imagine a more honorable or noble charity.