Laurels & lances: Landing, leaving, learning
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Laurel: To the final frontier. When NASA goes back to the moon, Southwestern Pennsylvania might have a “one giant step” moment.
Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic has shipped a prototype of its Griffin Mission One landing craft to Johnson Space Center in Houston to test before a planned 2023 lunar expedition.
“It’s super exciting. I never would have dreamed of building a lunar lander in Pa.,” said Daniel Gilles, the Griffin mission director.
NASA gave Astrobotic a $200 million contract for the 1,100-pound craft — the largest the company has made to date — in June 2020. It is not, however, the only moon lander it has under development. It is also working on a smaller Pergegrine vehicle to deliver lunar payloads.
Lance: To misplaced representation. Fawn Supervisor David Norris has withdrawn from participating in the upcoming primary election.
Norris, a Democrat, has represented the township’s residents from a distance for almost two years, according to resident Tracy Volk, who filed an objection to his candidacy for re-election. Norris has resided in DeLand, Fla., for more than a year and outside Fawn for two.
There is a difference between social distancing and phoning in to a meeting from home — calling in while on a vacation — and living somewhere else entirely.
State law does not allow a person who lives outside a municipality to hold an office, and this isn’t surprising. You can’t represent the people’s issues if they are no longer your issues. This should not have required a protest to make clear — and if Norris is no longer a resident, it is worth asking when he will no longer be a supervisor.
Laurel: To a beneficial relationship. Community colleges are a smart financial move for people who want a four-year degree but are trying to reduce the sometimes crippling cost. California University of Pennsylvania is taking steps to make that even more affordable.
The university is just 20 miles from Westmoreland County Community College. It is getting closer financially with a discount program for WCCC students who further their education at Cal U.
A 20% tuition discount will be offered for those who achieve selected associate degrees. It starts this fall and will slice about $770 off a semester’s bill.
That is good for the students but it’s also good for both WCCC and Cal U, which could see more people enrolling with the financial break on the table.