Cheer

Cheers to the Bantam Jeep Association for making good on its commitment to share the proceeds from the annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival.

The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau founded the festival five years ago with the intention of making it independent. The association formed in October 2015 to take over the organization of the festival in its fifth year. This year was its first season organizing the annual festival, which attracts more than 2,000 Jeeps each June and celebrates Butler’s history as the birthplace of the Jeep.

“When our organization was formed last fall ... our board of directors felt very strongly that a portion of the festival proceeds needed to support Butler County’s nonprofit and civic organizations,” said association President Rodney Schaffer.

The Bantam Jeep Association is looking to give away up to $20,000 to nonprofit and civic organizations. Donations will be determined based on how many groups apply and how much need is demonstrated. Board members will determine the amounts received by the organizations.

At least one donation of $3,000 will be made.

The association said nonprofit and civic organizations in the county can apply to receive a donation. Interested organizations should write a letter explaining how they benefit the county and how a donation would be used. The letters cannot exceed 500 words and should be emailed to Info@bantam.org. They must be received by Aug. 30.

Jeer

Palea fregit spina cameli. That’s how you’d say “the straw that broke the camel’s back” in Latin.

The topic of Thursday’s editorial was how frustrating it is that Latin has become the focal point of budgetary constraints within the Butler School District.

Simply put, the district doesn’t have the money to commit to a third full-time Latin teacher, which means about 40 potential students won’t be able to take the language courses this coming school year.

It’s been brought to our attention that the Latin program constitutes the proverbial straw in this instance, not the underlying bricks — the true problem. It’s a point worth acknowledging.

Consider the additional impact of cyberschools on the district’s 2016-17 budget — about $500,000. That’s enough money to hire seven Latin teachers.

The district’s $12.9 million state pension obligation is another matter altogether.

Combined, they represent massive burdens on local school districts that have no choice but to carry the load. Such issues need to be addressed legislatively in Harrisburg.

Cheer

Happy first birthday cheers this week to the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township.

The $70 training complex of the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL ice hockey team opened Aug. 17 2015. It’s a two-story, 185,000-square-foot building with two rinks and 1,500 total seats.

It has 1,500 square feet of hockey skills training space and a dedicated sports performance space under the guidance of former Penguins player Gary Roberts.

The sports medicine part of the complex has 24 exam rooms, MRI and digital X-ray machines and a staff of 20 doctors.

It could be sheer coincidence that the Penguins immediately went out and won the coveted Stanley Cup world championship trophy. Let’s not quibble over details. The cup is just one of many measures by which the Lemieux Sports Complex must be considered a success and a major attraction for Butler County.

The complex at 800 Cranberry Springs Drive will celebrate its anniversary from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. next Sunday, Aug. 21, with on-ice skills sessions featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins training staff, interactive sessions with UPMC sports medicine experts, open skate, learn to skate sessions, Penguins used equipment sales, sauce hockey, bounce house, cornhole, rapid shot contest, batting cage sessions and face painting.

Drop by if you can. After all, Butler County is the center of the hockey universe these days.