There has been so much bad news about the Butler County Prison project over the past couple of years that taxpayers could be excused for wondering whether there ever would be good news.

Despite the fact that over those years the project price tag has ballooned to at least $42.3 million from the initial estimate of $30 million, and the fact that there still are legal issues to resolve, the news that the project now seems on track to be completed by the latest target date of April 15 merits a long-overdue sigh of relief by taxpayers.

The determination of the new county leadership to resolve stumbling blocks associated with the project has overcome the bungling of the previous board of commissioners, which erred from the start in building no flexibility into the general construction contract that would take into account circumstances beyond the contractor's control.

That paved the way for relations to sour between the original general contractor and the county, which culminated in the contractor's decision to walk off the job.

The new board, which includes holdover Commissioner James Kennedy, has had the task of repairing the damage — that is to say, getting a new contractor on the job and ensuring that all other issues were — or are being — addressed.

Judging from information currently available, the project is on a path toward completion without any further glitches, at least not any significant ones.

"We can finally see light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a train," said Pat Stone of Massaro Corp., project construction manager.

At this time, the $42.3 million total project cost figure must be regarded as preliminary. The actual figure won't be known until the work is completed and all legal issues are resolved. In addition, it has been reported that more construction change orders are likely.

But the more upbeat project news of recent days is grounds for hope that the worst of the bad news has come and gone, and that's to the credit of those in charge of county government now.

Former six-term Republican Congressman Mark Foley of Florida, who resigned in September 2006 as a result of sexually explicit computer messages that he sent to male teens who had worked as Capitol Hill pages, says he's "trying to find my way back."But he's wrong in still not being willing to accept full public scorn in regard to the scandal.Foley, while conceding in an Associated Press interview that his behavior was "extraordinarily stupid," nonetheless appears convinced that he should not shoulder full blame over what occurred.He said the former pages were 17-year-olds, just months from being men, and that none of those with whom he had communicated had expressed a desire for him to stop those computer contacts.And, he reiterated that, while he had exercised bad judgment, he did nothing illegal — that he had never had any sexual contact with the teens, just inappropriate Internet conversations.No criminal charges ever were filed against him in connection with those conversations.Foley said he consented to the AP interview because he felt he owed his former constituents an apology.But his "way back" wasn't enhanced by his unwillingness to take full responsibility, even now, after having had considerable time to experience the consequences of his stupid actions.Two years later, he still doesn't have a full understanding of the public's expectations. His attitude is definitely in need of a rethinking.

Americans might be starving for some happier news amid the nation's financial crisis, growing unemployment, the prolonged military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan and whatever challenges they might be facing within their own households.But the Obama family's search for a future First Dog has commanded much too much attention.President-elect Barack Obama and members of his family are capable of achieving a consensus among themselves as to what kind of dog would be best for the family, taking into account 10-year-old daughter Malia's allergies. They are capable of making the right inquiries without a national debate among medical experts, veterinarians, breeders and others — and without a barrage of excessive coverage by the national media.While the dog search represents a sought-after distraction from the bad news afflicting the country, there is a point where such inconsequential news gets ridiculous.Unfortunately, that point already has been reached, and it's time for the focus to shift elsewhere.