Laurel: To representing the ladies. Nellie Bly was always breaking barriers. When few women were working outside the home, the Armstrong County native was an investigative reporter. Before women could vote, she was forcing the world to take notice of her with record-shattering world travel and undercover tales of insane asylum abuse.
Though she died in 1922, Bly is still taking a stand for women, becoming the first female represented with a statue at the Pittsburgh International Airport, alongside those of Steelers legend Franco Harris and President George Washington. Her figure celebrates National Women’s History Month and the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.
Laurel: To stepping in. Levin Furniture has been thrown a lifeline by someone who knows the business inside and out. Robert Levin, the company’s former owner, is giving up his retirement to take over and rescue the chain of furniture stores that had been at risk of closing.
“I’m coming back as the owner of Levin Furniture for the employees who were at risk of losing their jobs,” he said in a statement. “They are the most loyal, dedicated and hardworking people I’ve ever known.”
The move includes all Pennsylvania and Ohio Levin locations and Wolf Furniture stores. Art Van Furniture, the Michigan company that bought Levin in 2017, is shutting down and liquidating.
Lance: To closed doors. North Huntingdon officials held a non-public “training session” on Feb. 26 for the township commissioners – four of whom were elected in November — to discuss with the heads of the various municipal government departments plans for this year.
Township solicitor Bruce Dice said the meeting did not violate Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act that outlines when officials can bar the public from their meetings. He claimed that as long as the commissioners did not take action or their deliberations did not lead to official action, they could keep the news media and public from being in the room.
However, Sunshine Act requires that any deliberation — defined as “discussion of agency business held for the purpose of making a decision” — also be conducted in the public eye. “Training” is also not an accepted exception for an executive session.
Do better, North Huntingdon. Or at least do whatever you are doing publicly.
