Cheer

It’s almost becoming tiresome to congratulate state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on a job well done at this point.

During his tenure DePasquale — who has confronted issues ranging from the state’s pension crisis to lax charter school regulations and the laissez-faire way officials oversee how Act 13 money is handled — has proven himself to be an indispensible resource for taxpayers.

Now he’s taking aim at the state’s unemployement system. DePasquale says a review has found serious issues with how a supplemental fund is used. Between 2013 and 2016 officials at the state Department of Labor and Industry failed to account for spending from the fund. Instead of recording specific expenditures, like a normal government operation, the department simply lumped everything together, DePasquale says.

That’s simply an unacceptable way to oversee the spending of public money. Fix this broken system of oversight immediately.

Jeer

Better to burn out than fade away, sings Neil Young. But the flame-out of the Coopers Lake Memorial Day festival and fireworks display is just plain frustrating. There’s nothing redeeming to be found in the corporate gobbledygook that characterizes the festival’s fizzling.

The cancellation comes amid a split between the companies which provided the show’s fireworks — but of course they aren’t saying much of anything other than “sorry, we’re not coming,” despite being in the midst of a five-year contract with Coopers Lake to put on the show.

Left hanging are the thousands of people who were prepared to enjoy a fireworks show and competition on Memorial Day weekend, and the vendors and fireworks enthusiasts who won’t get to ply their trades now that the celebration has been postponed. Until when? Who knows.

What an amateurish display by two groups of businesspeople, both of whom ought to hold themselves to higher standards of performance.

Cheer

Monday brought good news for White Oaks Springs Presbyterian Church Pastor Lee Dreyer and members of the Water for Woodlands water bank, which serves 50 families in The Woodlands Neighborhood in Connoquenessing Township.

The water bank received a $5,000 check from the faith advocacy group The MORALtorium, which Dreyer said would greatly assist the water bank as it continues to provide potable water to Woodlands residents.

It’s been six years since many families had access to usable tap water — a mind boggling state of affairs. And while it’s disheartening to see the situation continue, it’s also good to see groups continue to support the water bank’s mission. The Woodlands residents depend on the kindness of others, and they have not been disappointed.