Murders in the rue

Murders in the rue morgue

Except that I am troubled by a critical question: what am I giving up to be equanimous? Leave a comment. Makes me happy. VERNON TOWNSHIP The best time to pay attention to water quality, according to the folks at Meadville Area Water Authority, is while the quality of the water is just fine. That s why Yvonne Shaffer of American Water and Edward Adams of MAWA recently visited seven elementary schools in seven days, spreading the word that the best way to have good water is to take good care of the water supply. Participating schools include Crawford Central School District s Cochranton, East End, First District, Neason Hill, Second District and West End elementary schools, and Seton Catholic School. Their presentation is part of MAWA s annual celebration of National Drinking Water Week, otherwise known as the first full week in May. After each presentation, participating students were asked to create posters demonstrating what they learned. Wednesday, students and their families gathered in the public meeting room at the Downtown Mall in Meadville for the presentation of awards. The posters were judged on content, originality and overall appearance. The posters will remain on display in the mall through Friday; during the next few weeks, winning posters will be displayed on Crawford Central School District s Channel 72 and at, which will also feature Water Week photos. The first-place poster will appear on educational bookmarks to be distributed to sixth-graders during National Drinking Water Week 20 Now in its 12th year, the program highlights both conservation and protection a dual focus that gives students countless opportunities to let their creativity shine. Posters were judged by a panel of community members that included Marcia Findlay, MAWA board member; Dan Crandall of Fine Print Commerical Printers; Sharon Sorg, publisher of The Meadville Tribune; Ted Watts Sr. , MAWA s attorney; and this reporter. Suzanne Good, formerly Crawford Central School District s director of elementary curriculum, came out of retirement for the awards ceremony. I ve worked with Yvonne Shaffer for 12 years, Good said. This partnership is very important to Crawford Central School District. Now more than ever, Crawford Central is committed to the power of partnerships, Ann Noonen, the district s newly appointed director of elementary curriculum and technology, agreed. In this time of decreased education funding, we welcome the opportunity to develop collaborations that have a positive impact on our students. The posters on display at the Downtown Mall show the results of one important partnership! The program is delivered without cost to Crawford Central. Since instituting the program in 1999, Shaffer has tapped into a variety of sources to provide visual aids to help demonstrate topics including source water pollution, how a water meter works, backflow prevention and how water is delivered to homes. A working water meter, complete with backflow prevention, and a section of a distribution main and service connection to a customer s home, for example, were designed and built by MAWA s distribution team. It takes funding and Yvonne is very instrumental in getting grants, Good said. A large Plexiglas groundwater simulator, for example, was purchased through a grant funded by Water Resources Education Network, a project of the League of Women Voters of PA Citizen Education Fund, under a grant from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Three large EnviroScape models illustrating the impact of nonpoint pollution sources, landfills and hazardous materials were purchased using grants funded by the league under a grant funded by Pennsylvania s DEP. A fourth EnviroScape model, illustrating the relationship between drinking water and waste treatment, was purchased through a 2007 Source Water Protection Grant provided by PDEP. On the local level, funding for the booklets being distributed this year came from a Rotary Club grant and more than 30 area businesses donate awards each year for the prizewinners. The program is a key component of MAWA s source water protection plan, which received the federal Environmental Protection Agency s 2009 Source Water Protection Program Award for the Midatlantic Region, which serves Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Shaffer serves as MAWA s business manager as well as its educator-in-chief; MAWA has been managed by American Water s Products and Services Group since 1 A divided Crawford Central School Board has until June 30 to pull together the five votes required to put a balanced budget into place for the 2011-12 fiscal year, which begins July A final vote is scheduled for the board s monthly meeting, which will begin at 6 on June 27 at the district s instructional support center in Vernon Township. Having to go to court doesn t necessarily mean a trip to a courtroom for some persons charged with a crime these days. CARLTON, Mercer County Snapping Turtle slid back behind a tree.