Laurel: To being back on the job. On an October 2018 morning, Pittsburgh Police SWAT Officer Timothy Matson suffered multiple gunshot wounds responding to the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill. Eleven people were killed and seven wounded that day.

It has been almost two years, but this week, Matson returned to active duty. Tree of Life shared a picture of him on Facebook Monday.

“We can never thank you enough for your service and we are so pleased to see you back on the job!” the message said.

We second that sentiment.

Lance: To bad report cards. A number of school districts are not making the grade with the coronavirus pandemic.

Places like Norwin and Penn-Trafford are having school after school report outbreaks of covid-19 among staff or students. Some are having schools close, which can then impact other schools that share some personnel.

In Westmoreland County, this is happening as community-spread cases of the disease are rising. At the same time, some other districts are looking to push forward with plans to increase student contact. Mt. Pleasant wants to double the number of in-person instructional days next month.

Getting kids and schools and schedules back to normal is important. But so is reacting appropriately to the situation on the ground at the time. School district leaders need to look at more than what is happening in their own jurisdiction when making decisions given the increases in county numbers.

Laurel: To remembering. It isn’t often that a memorial comes in the midst of a disaster. You don’t stop in the middle of a car crash to light a candle for one of the victims. But the nature of the long, slow-motion tragedy that is the pandemic means that while it is decidedly not over, there is still time to observe a moment for the lost.

On Oct. 24, Monarch Hospice in Lower Burrell will be holding a memorial walk to remember patients and residents who have died because of covid-19.

This is important, and it is a beautiful and meaningful way to remember them.

For so much of the last seven months, people have been isolated from one another and often behind their doors. This memorial doesn’t just give an opportunity to remember those who have fallen to the pandemic. It lets people mourn by literally taking steps forward.

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