Laurels & lances: Corks for a cause, bad behavior over masks

Tribune-Review | Thursday, December 10, 2020 6:56 p.m.

Madasyn Lee | Tribune-Review

Cork ornaments made by Noah Long for Cork N’at.

Laurel: To passing along good cheer. While working under pandemic restrictions this year, a lot of people have turned to hobbies and crafts. For 16-year-old Noah Long and his mom, Wendy, of West Deer, one outlet has been turning wine corks into Christmas tree ornaments.

There’s so much about this simple activity that is fun. It’s a way to focus on a good time. It shares an activity with family, as Noah did when he looped his sister and girlfriend into it. Heck, if you have been indulging in a bunch of pinot noir, it’s a way to recycle the corks. (Please don’t guzzle that much wine on purpose. You can definitely buy corks to decorate your tree.)

But the Longs did two more things. They started a business called Cork N’at, churning out their creations for sale. And then they designated a portion of the proceeds to go to the West Deer Food Bank.

“The coverage that we’ve seen, with the number of people in these lines for the food bank contributions, it’s really heartbreaking,” Wendy Long said. “We just want to be able support in any way that we can.”

The Longs intend to expand their offerings beyond corks (hence the “N’at” part of the name) and continue donating proceeds to the food bank. Three cheers for their enterprise.

Lance: To unnecessary roughness. A Greensburg man was charged Tuesday with disorderly conduct, harassment, criminal mischief and violation of state health orders. Police say Derek P. Hart Jr., 21, became upset when an employee at Family Dollar at the Greensburg Shopping Center attempted to enforce coronavirus pandemic policies. Hall disputes this.

The issue is that this is not the first time a mask or distancing protest has prompted a dispute with an employee. The lance goes to people — not Hall specifically, whose case is still unresolved — taking their frustrations with the policies out on workers who didn’t enact them.

Whether anyone agrees with wearing a mask or not, the clerk at a fast-food joint or the shift manager at a discount store is only doing a job. They may even agree with you. But they are caught at the intersection of state mandate and corporate policy.

The internet is thick with videos of confrontations between upset customers and unfortunate front-line employees. It’s not fair to the workers and it’s not what anyone is going to want following them around on YouTube forever. If you have an issue with the policy, get in touch with the management.