Crime news appears daily in the Butler Eagle; obviously, some of the incidents are more serious than others. But sometimes such news is eye-catching because of the immaturity and stupidity exhibited, like what was reported in the Sept. 26 article "Paintball spree leads to arrest."

While it's true that Daniel J. Shannon, 22, of Mars is innocent until proven guilty, the charges and evidence against him suggest someone who is an adult by virtue of his age but has the maturity and common sense of someone much younger.

Shannon could be facing much more serious charges if the paintball incidents of which he is accused had resulted in a crash that caused serious injury or worse to a motorist or passenger.

Shannon is alleged to have been firing a paintball gun at vehicles on Route 228 near the Springfield Grill at about 11:25 p.m. July 16. He was apprehended after successfully eluding a foot chase; he was spotted driving a car shortly afterward and the car was stopped on Route 228 near the Callery Credit Union.

A search of the vehicle (which revealed paintballs scattered inside), a field sobriety test and a blood test performed at UPMC Passavant Cranberry were the bases for drug charges being added to the other charges filed against Shannon.

Shannon faces a hearing Oct. 15 at the office of District Justice Wayne Seibel in Evans City. It is to be hoped that between now and then, he will start growing up, first by abandoning the mentality of children less than half his age.

From the beginning, it was clear that a comprehensive review of the response to the Hurricane Ike emergency in this region would be necessary — by utilities, government and other responders.That the state Public Utility Commission will also be getting involved in that evaluation should provide a higher degree of confidence to area residents that the full scope of the situation will be considered and bring improvements for the future.The hearings will enable the PUC to recommend changes to regulations and procedures, if the agency deems such actions necessary. It is important that any mistakes that occurred during Ike are not repeated if a similar event occurs in the future.It's worth noting that this region is vulnerable to massive power outages from ice storms as well as strong winds. And the consequences of slow utilility response or poor communication would be much more severe during winter conditions.The PUC involvement will take the form of two public hearings, one at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Cranberry Township Fire Company's Route 19 station, and the other at 2 p.m. Friday at the Four Points Sheraton in Marshall Township.It would behoove people seriously affected by the Sept. 14 storm to attend one of those hearings to tell their story. To be most effective, those who wish to provide testimony should prepare their remarks beforehand and have printed copies of their testimony for inclusion in the hearings' official record."They (PUC) felt it was a good time and a good opportunity to hold public input hearings since the power outages and the response from utilities are still fresh in people's minds," said Jennifer Kocher, a PUC spokeswoman. "It's a good opportunity to get input from consumers who were without power, some for a week, and hear from those consumers and how they were affected."No doubt the hearings would have attracted overflow crowds during the days when people were living without electrical service. They should be equally determined now to attend, to help ensure that any future responses are handled without any mistakes that were made this time.

Especially on the state and federal levels, candidates seeking public office for the first time have a penchant for making big promises that they can't keep.They frequently voice the notion that, when they get to Harrisburg or Washington, they'll be able, singlehandedly, to do great things on behalf of their constituents and the state or nation — when their lack of seniority dictates otherwise.But in the 69th State House District, which includes Somerset and Bedford counties, there was a refreshing change on Wednesday to the "promises I can't keep" campaigning that is all too common.During a debate involving the two candidates vying to replace the retiring 69th District representative, Republican Carl Walker Metzgar, 26, a Somerset lawyer, rejected the temptation to embellish the achievements he likely would record during a first term of office."I can't promise you too much of anything other than very hard work and dedication," he told the debate audience.He should have gotten a standing ovation for being so honest.The fact is, in Pennsylvania government and the United States Congress, newly elected lawmakers seldom have a significant individual impact. In only rare instances does a new lawmaker stand out in his or her first, second or even third terms.With seniority comes additional power, more significant committee assignments and responsibilities and heightened prospects of becoming a leader.To his credit, Metzgar didn't try to fool anyone. More new candidates on the political scene — and even some with limited seniority who are seeking re-election, should be as honest.There's nothing wrong with a campaign built on the promise of "very hard work and dedication."