Saxonburg Borough officials deserve a thumbs-up for their efforts in keeping the proposed Main Street revitalization work on track.

The borough is accepting proposals from contractors to do the first-phase work of the estimated $3 million project. The initial phase will involve relocation of utility lines and water and sewer upgrades.

Power, telephone and cable lines on the south side of Main Street will be relocated behind the buildings on that side of the street. Utility lines on the north side of the street won't be moved.

According to an article in Tuesday's Butler Eagle, subsequent phases of the project will include installation of street poles with light fixtures, trees, and landscaped strips similar to those that were in place in the 1800s.

The proposals from contractors are to be reviewed in late August. Ray Rush, Main Street program interim manager, said it is estimated that work will begin in the spring or next summer.

What's important at this point is that the project is continuing to move forward. There's substantive progress about which the community can remain optimistic. And it must be hoped that the incoming proposals will keep the project on track.

Despite some progress regarding its strained finances, Pittsburgh will remain under state oversight, according to a ruling by the state Department of Community and Economic DevelopmentEven though the city has a bank balance of nearly $90 million, deficits are expected to return in 2011. Contributing to those longer-term financial woes are $765 million in debt, a pension fund that's underfunded by about $462 million and long-term health care obligations for retired city workers estimated at $220 million to $320 million.Mayor Luke Ravenstahl noted the progress that the city has made with its financial health. But he also hinted at something that should be a red flag for taxpayers across the state.Pittsburgh's mayor, speaking about the long-term financial woes (mostly underfunded pensions)in the city, said, "There's a lot going on behind the scenes to address those (long-term) issues." A Pittsburgh newspaper that published the report said he was referring to a push for municipal pension reform in Harrisburg that might direct more state aid to distressed cities.Taxpayers across Pennsylvania should not be asked to bail out Pittsburgh, Philadelphia or other large cities that are struggling under the burden of pension obligations.These big cities created their own fiscal troubles, particularly in accepting overly generous pension benefits for municipal workers over many years. The officials and taxpayers of these cities should, therefore, be expected to resolve those problems — either by trimming benefits or finding other ways to raise the necessary money.

The California Board of Parole Hearings made the right decision in unanimously refusing to grant a compassionate release from prison for Susan Atkins, one of the Charles Manson followers involved in an horrific string of murders in 1969.Atkins, dying from brain cancer, had sought release so she could spend her final months surrounded by family and friends, rather than prison guards.Her victims, who included actress Sharon Tate, had their lives cut short by Atkins' and the others' brutality and lack of respect for human life. Like Manson and the others, Atkins deserves no special consideration, even though doctors say she's dying.It was Atkins who stabbed Tate to death. Atkins said she killed the actress to silence Tate's pleas on behalf of her unborn baby — Tate, the wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski, was more than eight months pregnant at the time she was killed.It's been nearly 40 years since Manson and his followers took the lives of their nine victims. Atkins, meanwhile, has the distinction of being California's longest-serving female inmate. She should continue to add to that dubious record until she breathes her last breath.