[naviga:h3]Cheer[/naviga:h3]

Cheers to the residents of Cranberry Township for having one of the highest recycling rates in the state — and the desire to recycle even more.

Township officials are stepping up educational efforts in 2016 to reduce contamination in its recyclables. The recycling program was the topic at a recent Coffee and Conversation program.

Township manager Jerry Andree says the recycle rate of 40 percent exceeds the 35 percent goal set by the state, “but we are constantly tweaking the program.”

A big part of the tweaking involves educating residents about what should be culled from a waste stream that will exceed 12,000 tons this year. If the consumer does a good job segregating the recyclable stuff from the garbage, it makes the entire system more efficient and more effective.

Let’s not forget the most important part of the education: Less garbage in the landfill is a money-saver. The volume of recyclables they can divert from the landfill will have a direct impact on future contracts, and their future garbage bills.

Nobody disputes that recycling is the right thing to do. A cash incentive only fortifies the argument in favor of it.

[naviga:h3]Jeer [/naviga:h3]

Pennsylvania State Police officials and Gov. Tom Wolf have confirmed a cheating scandal is under investigation at the State Police Academy in Hershey.

Still unconfirmed are details, first reported Monday by a Harrisburg TV station, that dozens of cadets were under investigation.

As many as 40 cadets — nearly half of the 144th cadet class scheduled to graduate next month — reportedly shared tests or were given tests by former cadets.

Particularly disturbing is the insinuation that former cadets — that is, current state troopers — were involved. It suggests an ongoing, widespread culture of dishonesty within the ranks.

The possibility alone of such corruption smears the reputation of our finest and bravest.

Not a word on that possibility has been uttered by the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association — the same fraternal organization whose members bitterly complained last summer when Gov. Wolf nominated an outsider, former Maryland State Police commissioner Marcus Brown, to become commissioner.

The association’s unrelenting pressure forced Brown to step aside, allowing one of their own, state police Maj. Tyree Blocker, to get the job instead.

Now it’s up to Blocker, the 30-year PSP insider, to clean up the mess. Blocker must investigate the scandal, hand out harsh discipline and do what he can to restore PSP’s now-tarnished image.

Is an insider up to the task? We’ll see.

[naviga:h3]Cheer [/naviga:h3]

Consolation cheers for Isaac Cole. The 15-year-old country musician from Emlenton made it into the Top-51 round of Fox Television’s American Idol, which aired Wednesday night.

That’s impressive. Isaac didn’t make the final cut for the show’s Top 24, but even so, he got an opportunity to play guitar and sing his music on national, prime-time TV. It’s not hard to believe him when he says the experience was the best of his life.

Not only was he exposed to the entertainment industry, but he said the experience helped him develop as a professional and to learn how to handle difficult situations.

Not bad for a teen who’s a regular with God’s Country Band at the First United Methodist Church in Butler. His exploits — and future prospects — remind us of a Gospel verse: “ ... and they will do even greater things than these.”