Laurels & lances: Book, buses and banners

Laurel: To telling stories. Lots of kids can weave tall tales. Every parent asking about missing homework can attest to that.

But Josh Ingram, 11, of Plum has really upped the game when it comes to childhood storytelling. The Holiday Park Elementary student doesn’t just tell stories. He wrote one. His self-published book is titled “Light: A Forgotten Monster.”

He wrote the 7,500-word tale while his mom was participating in a National Novel Writing Month challenge and produced it through Amazon.

Ingram might not be the only kid creating stories about monsters, but not many elementary students are putting that kind of work into them. So he’s not Stephen King yet, but even Stephen King didn’t have a book published at 11.

Lance: To ditching students. Haven’t kids dealt with enough problems regarding access to school in the past year? The coronavirus pandemic has made every day that students are in school a struggle and every effort to connect kids to education — be it virtual or in person — a lifeline.

So the dispute between South Allegheny School District and Sun Coach Lines that is disrupting transportation is more than unfortunate.

The issue is $800,000 in back fees and a question of the contract and whether the company needs to be paid for transportation last year during lockdowns when no buses were running.

That’s a lot of money, and those valid questions definitely are cause for concern. But the two sides need to come to a resolution as soon as possible. While the district was able to pivot to distance learning, that is a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

And as with most contract disputes involving schools, the rope being used in the tug-of-war is the children.

Laurel: To the red, white and blue. The sight of the American flag is an unmistakable symbol. It speaks of service and dedication. For many, the fluttering colors stir something inside.

And “Flags Over Murrysville” has been eliciting those feelings for 30 years. The 340 flags along William Penn Highway are planted up to 20 times a year, and have been since 1991. Originally done by Kiwanis members, it is now spearheaded by American Legion Post No. 711.

It’s a production that takes dozens of volunteers and has raised more than $200,000 for veteran service groups since then.

“The whole thing is just inspiring,” said Murrysville Councilman Mac McKenna, whose father, Bob, started the project. “I can’t tell you how many times the mayor and chief administrator get calls about it from community members and just people driving through the community who see it.”