Laurel: To adding new tools. As the song says, “Everybody knows that smokin’ ain’t allowed in school.” That historically has been about cigarettes but has branched out to the modern version — vaping. It is illegal to sell any tobacco products, including vaping products, to those under 21 in Pennsylvania.

It’s a problem Highlands administrators are addressing with technology. The district is installing vape detectors in middle and high school restrooms to tackle the age-old issue of kids hiding in the restroom to take a puff between classes. The detectors will silently alert staff via messaging, allowing the school to catch the culprits.

“We are trying to solve the problem and get ahead of it by installing them at the middle school,” Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said.

Kudos to the district for tackling head-on something that is a health concern and a legal issue.

Lance: To one more big bill. Can we get a little relief please?

From eggs to bread to gasoline and housing, Pennsylvanians are struggling with costs that just keep climbing with no end in sight.

Now there’s one more thrown on the pile. Heating bills from December hit January mailboxes like a ton of bricks. It was caused by a combination of below-average temperatures — including a wicked cold snap over the holidays — and a global energy market stretched by the war in Ukraine.

Are there ways to help? There are programs for those who qualify based on income. Dollar Energy Fund Pennsylvania Hardship Program saw a 265% increase in distributions in January. Since October, grants are up 90%.

But with Punxsutawney Phil predicting six more weeks of winter, many are going to be pushed to turn down the thermostat and put on an extra pair of socks and a sweater or two.

Laurel: To something to smile about. Sheetz is routinely named a good employer on a state and national level by lists like Fortune magazine’s Best Companies to Work For.

But one policy has had people grimacing. The “smile policy” said that if you had a visible dental problem you couldn’t be hired, or you might lose your job if it arose after you started working.

Videos on social media about the policy have gained millions of views, with people questioning it as discriminatory or just plain unfeeling. Dental reconstruction isn’t cheap, after all, and the policy gave just 90 days to correct broken or missing teeth. Just getting a consultation appointment might take longer than that.

Now the company has announced an end to the policy, effective immediately.

The Altoona-based Sheetz is a popular convenience chain, and it’s good to see a Pennsylvania company be responsive — even if it would have been better if it came without public pressure.

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