[naviga:h3]Cheer [/naviga:h3]

Nice move, governor.

Now that Kathleen Kane can be called the convicted former Pennsylvania attorney general, it’s refreshing to see that Gov. Tom Wolf moved swiftly and decisively — and, reportedly with the consent of House and Senate leadership — in nominating Bruce Beemer as acting attorney general.

Beemer’s appointment requires majority approval of the Senate, which is expected in September.

Beemer, an Allegheny County resident and former prosecutor there, had served as Kane’s second-in-command until July, when Wolf named him inspector general. He’ll reportedly return to the inspector general’s post after a newly elected attorney general takes the office in January.

For several reasons, Beemer is the right individual to restore some sanity and order to the AG office after Kane’s tumultuous tenure. He knows the office, its staff and procedures, and the staff knows him. Beemer has a track record of competency.

Had Wolf done nothing, the acting attorney general would have been Bruce Castor, who by any measure is a capable and honorable attorney. Castor had two things working against him:

First, he was a recent appointee to a position created by Kane — solicitor general — in the midst of looming criminal allegations that included the suspension of Kane’s law license. Kane hired him essentially to make the legal decisions she was no longer allowed to make.

Second, Castor was the Montgomery County district attorney who refused to prosecute accused rapist Bill Cosby in 2005. Questions about that case would have hung over his remaining months in office and would have been an ongoing distraction.

Better to put Beemer in charge. He’s the rightful and logical successor.

[naviga:h3]Jeer [/naviga:h3]

LochteGate, LochteDoor, LochNess. Take your pick. U.S. swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte and three teammates gave the United States a black eye for their misconduct in Rio de Janeiro last Sunday morning.

The U.S. Olympic Committee confirmed Friday that Lochte lied about being robbed at gunpoint while taking a taxi ride back to the Olympic Village after a night of celebration. It turns out they stopped at a gas station. The restroom door was locked, so they broke it down — and were confronted by security guards, not robbers.

At least one ranking Olympic organizer downplayed the incident, saying these things happen, boys will be boys (Lochte is 32). Let’s not have one small negative distract us from all the positives of Rio’s big achievement.

These things do happen, and an immediate apology would have gone a long way to patch things up. Instead, Lochte and his teammates resorted to the soul of a stereotype — that Rio is a dangerous, cut-throat place. That’s the exact depiction Olympic organizers, Brazilian government and NBC Television producers worked so hard to dispel.

It’s unlikely Lochte will face any prosecution. But he will pay a substantial penalty.

Lochte’s website says he is sponsored by swimwear manufacturer Speedo, mattress maker Airweave and clothing company Polo Ralph Lauren.

It’s not clear how much money Lochte receives from his sponsors, but ESPN reported before the London games in 2012 that contracts from Gillette, Mutual of Omaha, Gatorade, Ralph Lauren and Speedo were worth up to $4 million.

They’re not worth that much any longer.

[naviga:h3]Cheer [/naviga:h3]

Cheers for Western Pennsylvania’s 170,000 United Methodists as they say farewell to one bishop and welcome another.

Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi will begin her new assignment Sept. 1, the same day her predecessor, Bishop Thomas Bickerton, will become bishop of the New York area.

Bickerton had overseen the 22-county Western Pennsylvania Conference and its 830 congregations for 12 years.

Moore-Koikoi has served 40 years of ministry in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, most recently as superintendent of the United Methodist Church’s Baltimore-Metropolitan District. She played a pivotal spiritual role following the unrest in 2015 around the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. She worked 17 years as a school psychologist.

When she was elected in July, Moore-Koikoi said the work of bishops is to oversee the work of the church, working prophetically, evangelically and apostolically with all as they cooperate with the grace of God.

“That’s spiritual work — remembering who God is and who God has called us to be,” she said. “We got God, so we got this.”