Most children and adults would improve their health by getting away from their computer screens and TV sets and participating in outdoor exercise or other activities.

That's the positive message behind Evans City's new program dubbed Energize Evans City, beginning on Memorial Day Weekend and extending through Labor Day.

The hope is to keep people of all ages coming to EDCO Park, not only to enjoy the park, but to participate in programs that will be held under the umbrella of the Energize effort.

Under the program, there will be hour-long activities for age groups from preschool to preteen Mondays through Fridays, and one family night each week.

The activities will be free.

The Evans City Parks and Recreation Board merits praise for creating this program for the town's residents. The hope is for residents to enjoy the outdoors while also enhancing their town's community spirit.

“The goal is to get kids to come out and play outdoors and be active within the community,” said Cindy Caldwell, a parks and recreation board member.

That's a great objective for any community.

Apparently there was no legal prohibition for her doing so, but state Sen. Jane Orie's decision to use more than $100,000 in campaign money to help pay for her unsuccessful legal defense against corruption charges didn't enhance her image in the eyes of many voters.That practice should be prohibited by law, but the General Assembly would have to adopt such a measure. Considering all the illegal actions in the state capital that have been uncovered over the past half-decade or so, it's uncertain how many lawmakers would support such a bill.With all of the charges already filed and the resulting court proceedings, there must be more than a few people in state government who are feeling uneasy these days.Orie wasn't the first lawmaker to use campaign money to help pay for a legal defense. Among the others were former state Sens. Vincent Fumo and Robert Mellow, both of whom, like Orie, damaged the image of state government.Orie caused her problems and Orie should pay for her defense — with her personal funds.By not fully doing so, Orie only made her already reduced stature in her constituents' eyes even more precarious.Her conviction showed that she was willing to misuse state taxpayers' money for her own political and personal purposes. Now, though apparently legal, she also has made questionable use of her contributors' funds.

Some people will argue that the sentence isn’t tough enough, but the penalty meted out by Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis to Mike Manzo sends a clear message to legislative staffers: Refuse to participate in any illegal activity, no matter what the boss might say.Manzo, former chief of staff for longtime state House Democratic Leader Bill DeWeese of Greene County, was sentenced by Lewis on Monday to 18 months to 4 years in prison, followed by three years’ probation.He also was fined $22,000 and ordered to pay $73,000 in restitution.Manzo, whose testimony helped convict former Democratic whip Mike Veon of Beaver County and DeWeese in a legislative corruption scandal, was sentenced for his role in the scandal in which taxpayer-financed bonuses were paid to Democratic staff members for campaign work illegally performed on state time between 2004 and 2006.The charges against the lawmakers were the result of a state grand jury probe.Lewis demonstrated the right attitude in Manzo’s sentencing. The judge said although Manzo had cooperated with authorities, the seriousness of his offense warranted a tough penalty.New state employees should consider the “Manzo chapter” in the Keystone State’s “Book of Corruption” as required reading and heed its lessons.