Improved access has been an important issue since construction options for a new or renovated Butler Memorial Hospital first were being considered.

The region got good news during the past week with the announcement that construction of an access road to the hospital from Route 68 would begin in May. According to the project timetable, road construction will be completed in October.

Meanwhile, the hospital's surgical tower construction project was reported to be on schedule, with the new addition to be open by late summer of next year.

The new road will provide traffic from Routes 422, 68 and 38 direct access to the hospital, eliminating the necessity for ambulances — especially — to travel through the city's Institute Hill neighborhood to get to the hospital.

In some life-or-death transports, the more efficient access to the hospital will mean the saving of lives that might be lost without that better access.

Every second is precious in some medical emergencies. It is a credit to hospital project planners and Butler Township's engineer that they were able to find a route for the road that will adequately meet the hospital's, emergency transporters', and the public's needs.

A modern hospital should not be without modern access to complement it.

Robert C. Jubelirer of Blair County was one of the officials, past and present, who voiced little sympathy for former state Sen. Vincent Fumo of Philadelphia, who was convicted Monday of corruption.Jubelirer, the former Senate president pro tempore who was defeated for re-election in 2006 during the show of voter outrage stemming from a controversial 2 a.m. legislative pay-raise vote in July 2005, seemed to express great joy in the fact that "Vince has dodged so many bullets over the years, but this one finally got him right between the eyes."Jubelirer also said, "His (Fumo's) perverted view of the way government should work for him and not him for government eventually caught up with him."Jubelirer's opinion was on target, but the former senator shouldn't be so critical of Fumo when he himself continues to merit criticism for his role in allowing the notorious pay-raise vote to take place. If Jubelirer would have responsibly stood his ground as a legislative leader, and in the best interests of state taxpayers, at least in the Senate the pay-raise vote wouldn't have taken place.While that vote wasn't criminal, to the taxpayers it seemed criminal that the vote was taken without any advance notice or public debate, and in the middle of the night.There also was the question of whether proper procedures in drawing up the pay-raise legislation were followed prior to the vote.Jubelirer, a Republican, has the right to take one last shot at his former Democratic rival, with whom he had several high-profile run-ins while they were in office. However, Jubelirer, on the basis of being party to what turned out to be an ill-fated pay grab, since the raise ultimately was repealed, should temper his gloating.Like with Fumo, there are plenty of Pennsylvania residents who are glad he's gone too.

Like the recent conviction of former state Sen. Vincent Fumo, the firing of the head of the fundraising arm of Pennsylvania's student aid agency March 2 hopefully will add to the public's awareness and disgust over some of the goings-on in the state capital.Michael Hershock was removed from his $150,000-a-year job as president and chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation as the result of a dispute over his travel expenses. James Preston, the holder of those positions at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, was appointed to replace Hershock.PHEAA also has come under fire in recent years for questionable spending practices.It was records requested by the Harrisburg Patriot-News that caused the foundation board to take a closer look at Hershock's travel expenses. In voting to fire Hershock, the board cited a "willful breach of the president's fiduciary duty involving personal profits."The nonprofit foundation has raised millions of dollars in private contributions for block grants for nursing schools across the state to provide financial assistance for students.Money raised should be used for the purpose it was contributed, not for unwarranted perks for those who are supposed to be watching closely the spending of every dollar.It should be clear that the foundation uncovered a significant amount of questionable travel by the former president and CEO. Just a questionable incident or two most likely wouldn't have prompted the foundation board to take such a drastic action.