It's encouraging that elected officials of Slippery Rock Borough and Township are moving beyond the controversy surrounding a proposed government study and now are seeking ways to take advantage of new cooperative opportunities.

The township supervisors attended a borough council meeting Tuesday at which the elected leaders of the two municipalities discussed possibilities regarding road repairs, use of a salt-brine system to attack snow and ice on roadways, conducting a traffic study, and sharing police and road crews.

Reflecting on the meeting discussion, township Supervisor Paul Dickey said, “I think we've had a couple of positive things here.”

“I think that would be a terrific start,” said borough Mayor Ken Harris, regarding the possibility of the two municipalities jointly applying for state funds to repair Kiester Road, most of which is in the township, but a small section is in the borough.

It is true that both the state and federal governments look more favorably on funding projects that benefit more than one municipality.

Dialogue like that which occurred Tuesday can be very productive both in the short run and also over the longer term. Officials of the two municipalities should continue talking and exploring ways they can help one another, within the guidelines of state law.

Tuesday's meeting opened a new window. The challenge is to keep it open for both communities' benefit.

Criticism and ridicule from late-night comics have been heaped upon Christina Aguilera since she flubbed a line of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XLV.Judging from the immediate — and pathetically ongoing — response, critics project a picture of not ever having made a mistake, when they no doubt have made many, albeit not before hundreds of millions of television viewers.Aguilera, like so many others who have performed the national anthem in the past, deserves a jeer, but not for the mistake she made while singing it. It's for the way she and others have used their voices to distort the anthem from the way it should be sung and the way it should sound.As the nation's most important song, it should be performed with the respect that it deserves — the way it was meant to be sung. Is the day ahead when it will be performed at a World Series game, Super Bowl or some other event in a rap format?As a major celebrity, Aguilera, who is comfortable performing before the public, should not have flubbed the lyrics during her time in last Sunday's spotlight, but bloopers occur on virtually every movie set and in many rehearsals. Most of the time people just don't hear about them.And, like everyone else, Aguilera is human and, as such, not immune from making mistakes. The problem is that most people don't expect them to happen to someone with such entertainment experience.However, rather than make a big deal over an error in a song that's difficult to sing, people should be unhappy with performers whose renditions massacre how the song should sound when it's being performed.The anthem is America's song. Major stylistic modifications are neither needed nor respectful for what the anthem represents.

It might have been an honest error in judgment by Saxonburg Mayor Jody Pflueger in failing to notify the borough council that she had suspended a part-time borough police officer. She has been mayor for only about 13 months and admits that she still is learning details of her job.Still, it’s hard to fathom that she would carry out such an action without realizing that others running the borough government should know that an action of that magnitude had occurred. Like Pflueger, who heads the police department, they are responsible to the residents of the municipality and must be able to respond to the public’s questions and concerns.Nevertheless, the mayor suspended Officer Bryan Costanzo on Feb. 2, then attended a council meeting that evening, remaining mum about the suspension. It was the following day that Council President Bill Gillespie learned about the suspension and began e-mailing Pflueger seeking details.While Pflueger later told the Butler Eagle that she was unaware of being required to tell the council immediately, it’s puzzling that, because the council ultimately is responsible for determining whether and how a police officer should be disciplined, she failed to realize the necessity of all council members being privy quickly to what had taken place.What occurred regarding this suspension not only has raised the question of whether there might have been other breakdowns in communication involving Saxonburg officials over the past year or so. It also raises the question of whether there might be some level of distrust or lack of confidence in play involving borough leaders that needs to be addressed — and resolved.Pflueger would be unhappy if important borough information were withheld from her. Thus, she should respect council members’ right to the same consideration.