Not only does the Lighthouse Foundation merit praise for the opening of its newest transitional housing facility on Ridge Avenue in Butler, but the agency also demonstrated its strong commitment to its mission by mustering 200 volunteers to ready the facility's structures to accept residents.

The transitional facility, which has been named Armour Apartments, consists of six apartments, four two-bedroom units and two three-bedroom units. The structures making up the facility are a three-and-a-half-story house and an adjacent single-story cottage.

The six apartments have been assigned to single-parent families with children.

Lighthouse demonstrated its flexibility when the Kaufman Drive area in which its new facility originally was to be located was confronted with an environmental issue.

Not content with having its new-facility plan scuttled, Lighthouse bought the Ridge Avenue site, confident that the agency would be able to address the property's many problems and needs.

With help from Hosanna Industries, a Beaver County nonprofit group dedicated to providing safe and affordable housing to families, Lighthouse has been able to realize most of its goals.

The open house that marked the opening of Armour Apartments showed how successful the agency has been in that regard.

There's still more work to be done and more needs, such as cribs, beds and a microwave. But Lighthouse is within reach of full completion.

In this endeavor, the agency showed again that it has the right leadership guiding it.

Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner's scrutiny of the commonwealth's Gaming Control Board is important to the board's image and reputation — but, most importantly, to the confidence of state residents that the control board is acting responsibly and effectively.If there are questions and concerns about the way the board is doing its job, they should be resolved quickly, and not be allowed to fester or be the basis for suspicions, unwarranted or otherwise.Thus, it's important that the issue of whether the gaming board awarded contracts worth about $7 million improperly, as suggested by Wagner, be resolved conclusively and quickly.The gaming board is responsible for licensing and regulating the state's casino industry.According to Wagner, an audit of the board by his office showed that the gaming agency violated state law by allowing the money in question to be executed without board appoval at public meetings. The board is contending it was not required to do so.Wagner said the $7 million covered 19 service contracts. In an effort to resolve the issue, he said he would be forwarding his findings to the state attorney general's office.The gaming control board, in an effort to bolster public confidence in it, should go beyond what might be required by law to demonstrate its commitment to transparency. It never should raise questions about its compliance with the state's Sunshine Act.Doug Harbach, a gaming board spokesman, said officials there are taking Wagner's findings very seriously and, when practical, will approve contracts with a public vote.If the board had exercised that attitude consistently, it would not now be on the Auditor General's Office's hot seat.Wagner should be praised for his gaming board scrutiny.

Gov. Ed Rendell’s success in extracting a $20 million Christmas gift at Butler County’s expense for Port Authority of Allegheny County proves that even a lame-duck state chief executive still exercises considerable muscle.But Rendell couldn’t have succeeded without the help of the 10-county planning agency Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and, succumbing to the governor’s pressure, the SPC turned its back on this county’s best interests.The SPC shouldn’t feel proud about this funding grab, which came about by way of a 27-22 vote.The state money, which had been designated for a Route 228 upgrade connected to the now-defunct Simon Property Group mall plan, should have been re-allocated to another project in Butler County, since it was originally targeted for here. Instead, thanks to the SPC, that money, plus an additional $25 million not tied to Route 228, will help keep the Allegheny transit agency afloat for a few months.Meanwhile, it’s estimated that PAT will be facing a $30 million deficit at the start of its next fiscal year on July 1.About the only thing Butler County’s $20 million ensures is that PAT can delay the tough decisions necessary to get its financial house in order.Instead of going begging to the SPC, Rendell should have told PAT to do what’s necessary now to be able to survive without more taxpayer charity.Maybe the SPC feels there might eventually be benefits available to the 10-county region, thanks to the past week’s decision. But with the state in a dire financial condition, it’s hard to imagine such an extra benefit anytime soon, if ever.The SPC turned its back on Butler County in giving away the money designated for this county. Too bad nothing positive and long-lasting is destined to be realized from the shifting of those dollars.