Based in one of the fastest-growing areas of the state, the Cranberry Area Chamber of Commerce is positioned to be an important voice, focused on the needs and best interests of its members in southwestern Butler County — and even some in other parts of this county.

A proposed merger with the Northern Allegheny County Chamber of Commerce would be counterproductive to that important Butler County role.

Not only would the Cranberry Chamber relinquish its current identity under the merger, but a scenario can be envisioned where businesses in what once was the Cranberry Chamber's service area find themselves being "second fiddles" to Allegheny County companies.

It also must be considered how many Butler County Chamber of Commerce businesses that also are members of the Cranberry Area Chamber might consider severing their ties with the merged organization if the Cranberry Chamber were to give up its local identity.

The Cranberry Chamber ought to be trying to capitalize on its good fortune of being in such a vibrant area. It should reject becoming an entity of an umbrella group more associated with the city of Pittsburgh.

If the Cranberry group is not achieving its optimum results, it should be working to improve itself, not jumping on the back of a "relative" agency in hopes of bringing about better results.

Members of the two chambers currently are being surveyed about the merger proposal. Meanwhile, Keith Colonna, chairman of the board of the Cranberry Chamber, told the Butler Eagle that the tentative target for a merger vote is late July. In the meantime, the merger task force has been meeting to fine-tune the way a merged chamber would operate.

While it's never wrong to re-evaluate the way things are done, the overriding consideration must be the local impact of changes being proposed.

In this case, the Cranberry Chamber losing its identity amid continuing fast growth is not the right move. It is to be hoped that its members come to that important realization before they vote.

Zelienople's historic Strand Theatre, which stood vacant for a quarter-century and survived two decades of efforts to have it torn down, will become the newest asset to Butler County's arts community next month when it holds its grand reopening, thanks to the Strand Theater Initiative.Eight years of work bringing the theatre back to life will be rewarded with a series of grand-opening activities July 16-26, the highlight being three performances by entertainer Debbie Reyolds.The human sparkplug behind the theatre's revival, Ron Carter, the initiative's president and executive director, deserves praise for his perseverance and dedication."It's been a ridiculous process with all the construction delays," Carter said. "It's been a ride on the wild side, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."He can be excused for fudging a bit on that last statement amid the excitement over completion of the restoration process.Regardless, another significant success in the arts community is now more than a dream. It's reality.

There continues to be debate over how Cash for Clunkers, a used car trade-in subsidy program passed recently by Congress, will work when it comes to boosting the fuel-efficiency of cars on the road. But while debate over details of the program continues, there is unsettling news that scammers already have set up Web sites to gather personal information from potential car buyers — information that could later be used in identity-theft crimes.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is warning consumers about Internet sites seeking information such as names, addresses and Social Security numbers of people hoping to participate in the federally subsidized car trade-in program. The NHTSA notes that consumers do not have to register to receive a voucher to participate in Cash for Clunkers. All the processing will be handled by the car dealer, and the dealer will obtain reimbursement from the government after the trade-in/purchase transaction has been completed.There is no "pre-registration" required for the program, and the NHTSA says "you do not need a voucher and you are not required to sign up or enroll in this program."It's a sad statement that the Cash for Clunkers program has just barely been approved by Congress, but unscrupulous people already are trying to find ways to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers.