Laurels & lances: Problems and power

Laurel: To seeking solutions. Many post-­secondary schools in Pennsylvania and nationwide are dealing with the challenges of falling enrollment. It comes as institutions compete with each other for students and as those students struggle with the crushing financial burden of tuition and debt.

So it doesn’t come as a surprise when any institution finds itself weighing the options of how to change to move forward. Pittsburgh Technical College is doing that by considering drastic measures.

Following an $8 million loss in net assets last fiscal year and an almost 50% decline in student numbers since 2016, the options could include refinancing, merging with another institution or selling the school outright.

The laurel isn’t to the loss of an almost-80-year-­ old school that has offered degrees in everything from nursing and culinary arts to criminal justice and design. It’s to the practicality of looking for a way forward instead of ignoring the problems and thereby compounding them.

Lance: To loss of power. It’s been quite the week for electricity failure. There was the winter weather Tuesday that left more than 9,000 Westmore­land customers without lights. Then Wednesday, Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood went dark.

West Penn Power, still busy with the Westmoreland outage, said it would investigate, but residents are blaming the demolition of St. Ladislaus Church.

“A guy running the crane knocked a bunch of bricks down onto the transformer,” said Conrad Zylinski, who lives just 180 feet away.

Power was back on about 6 p.m.

This is just the latest demolition-related issue in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Last year, Springdale’s Cheswick power plant tower implosion covered the area with dust and has prompted lawsuits about the additional demo needed.