Latest news with #ReadingEagle
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Letter: Commentary on death penalty is wrong about Hebrew Bible
'Death penalty in keeping with principles of the Bible' (Reading Eagle, June 4), which asserts that the Hebrew Bible generally supports capital punishment, brings to mind comedian Lewis Black's advice that if you want to understand what the Hebrew Bible means, ask a Jewish person. The letter is based on an understanding of the Hebrew Bible that is, forgive the pun, dead wrong. The Hebrew Bible is understood not simply by reading the text itself but through studying the Talmud, an explication of the biblical text by ancient rabbis and sages. Wrestling with the text reveals its true meaning. The letter says Exodus 21:14 demands the death penalty for premeditated murder, but how is premeditation proven? To convict someone of premeditated murder under Jewish law, the court required two witnesses, according to Numbers 35:30. The Christian Bible accepts this principle in John 8:17. In Jewish law, two witnesses must testify that they warned the assailant he could be sentenced to death if he commits murder. The witnesses had to testify they heard the assailant assent in case the assailant was deaf. Premeditation under biblical law was extremely difficult to prove. Many other legal requirements were imposed. Historians doubt anyone was ever convicted of premeditated murder under Jewish law. Marshall Dayan Pittsburgh
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Letter: Harvard is hardly like most other American universities
The guest editorial 'Persecuting Harvard could affect others' (Reading Eagle, June 3) commented on the antisemitism problems Harvard University has tolerated. It seems like Harvard must agree with the protesters. I've read reports of appalling things happening there. Jewish and Muslim students are harassed, bullied and assaulted. Racial slurs are shouted at them. Harvard has a bullying and harassment policy, so why do its leaders not enforce it? The solution to all the antisemitism is this: No matter who the offending or recipient students are (even if the offending one is related to a big-money donor), enforce the policy. If a student is assaulted, call the police and expel the offender. If protesters damage college or personal property, arrest and expel them. The editorial argues that Harvard is like any other college. It is not. Joyce Maurer Spring Township
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Berks officials send 2 alleged election violations to DA to investigate
Two allegations of potential campaign law violations in Berks County have been forwarded to law enforcement for investigation. At a special meeting of the board of elections Friday, members of the county legal team presented two complaints stemming from the May 20 primary election. One involved a candidate who failed to indicate who paid for campaign materials and the other involved a text message from an unknown sender. The first complaint involved Matthew McCluskey, a Republican candidate running to represent Washington Township on the board of supervisors, who failed to include a disclaimer on campaign material sent to voters about who paid for its distribution. While the board decided last month that they would not be sending the complaint to authorities for further review because they believed the candidate had taken the necessary action to fix the situation, Assistant County Solicitor Alexa Antanavage told the board Friday that the issue is still unresolved. They said upon closer examination of financial campaign documents filed by McCluskey and a committee acting on his behalf, the source of the money used to send mailers to Republican voters in the township ahead of the primary remains unclear. 'Given the totality of everything that's going on here and the discrepancies that we have seen, along with the failure to include disclaimers, I think it's appropriate to recommend referral to the district attorney's office for further investigation,' Antanavage said. The board agreed, voting unanimously to forward the issue to law enforcement. Contacted by the Reading Eagle, McCluskey said Friday afternoon that he believes further investigation of the latest campaign finance documents he filed will accurately show who was responsible for funding his materials. 'I made a mistake filling out the paperwork,' he said. 'There's not even a question about that because I misunderstood the instructions. Listen, I'm a rookie and I've never done this before.' McCluskey said he recently met with an attorney and financial adviser familiar with campaign finance filings to fix the mistakes that were made. 'I truly believe that everything is as it should be now,' he said. The second complaint involved an anonymous text message sent a day before the primary to Republican voters in the Oley Valley School District advocating for the election of several candidates. First Assistant County Solicitor Cody Kauffman said the message may have violated the silence period that prohibits candidates, committees and parties acting on their behalf from placing an advertisement in the 120 hours before an election without giving sufficient notice to opposing candidates. He noted the message is also problematic because it did not state who paid for its distribution to voters. Kauffman recommended the matter be sent to law enforcement for further review. The board voted unanimously to forward the issue to the district attorney. The two referrals to the district attorney's office bring to five the total number of potential violations regarding the handling of campaign material that the county has handed over for investigation this election season. Commissioner Michael Rivera, chairman of the elections board, said it appears this is a growing issue that needs to be addressed. He suggested the board put in place guidelines about how candidates should respond to complaints when they are brought to their attention. 'The remedy has to be equal to or greater than the infraction,' he said. 'So, in the case of the mailer sent out without a disclaimer, the candidate must send another mailer to the same people with the disclaimer. If you are sending a text message without a disclaimer, then another text message should be sent to the same people with the disclaimer.' Rivera said adopting that guideline would help the elections team more easily determine if the candidate has taken the appropriate action to address the complaint. His fellow board members agreed that adopting guidelines would be beneficial for the elections team and candidates who may be unfamiliar with the requirements. They asked Kauffman to work with Elections Director Anne Norton to craft guidelines for the board to approve.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Letter: Death penalty is in keeping with principles of Bible
I'm writing in response to 'The time to end the death penalty in Pennsylvania is at hand' (Reading Eagle, May 31). While one sympathizes with Vicki and Sylvester Schieber, whose daughter died at the hands of a serial rapist, their opposition to the death penalty may have been grounded in the teaching of the Catholic Church, but it was not based on the Bible. If anything, it is not capital punishment that is 'an assault on human dignity' (Pope John Paul II), but murder itself; it is because life is sacred and people are made in the image of God that he called for the death penalty in Genesis 9:6 ('Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed'), just after he had destroyed the world by a flood because 'the earth was filled with violence (Genesis 6:11).' The intent of the regulations in the Law of Moses was to see to it that justice was done. If restitution was possible — as in the case of robbery or neglect — it was demanded; if not, the penalty was death. When a killing was premeditated (Exodus 21:14), or a rape was committed (Deuteronomy 22:25), there was no way someone's life or virginity could be restored, so the death of the perpetrator was required. The apostle Paul in his explanation of the role of human government (Romans 13:1-7) stated that ruling authorities do not 'bear the sword in vain (verse 4); he is, in fact, 'God's minister,' an instrument in God's hand to 'execute wrath on him who practices evil.' Greg Wasser Colebrookdale Township
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Renovations underway for 117-year-old pagoda in Pennsylvania
(WHTM) — Renovations are underway for a historic, 117-year-old pagoda in Pennsylvania. According to the pagoda's website, the 117-year-old pagoda located atop Mount Penn in Reading is being renovated in a broader effort to enhance the structure and the surrounding Skyline Drive Park. The pagoda's website says construction crews will install a new HVAC system, electrical system, and plumbing systems to meet code requirements to reopen to the public. The site says cosmetic fixes will also be done to the interior and exterior, including paint, wood refinishing, and restoring other details. Renovation began on April 1 and is planned to be finished in October 2025. The project cost $4.8 million, awarded by the American Rescue Plan Act and unspent 2024 capital improvement funds, the site added. The Reading Eagle recently reported that unexpected gaps were found in the pagoda's stone foundation. Workers will inject lime-based grout to fill some of the holes in the foundation, then the grout will level out and fill in the rest of them. According to the Berks History Center, the Reading Pagoda was first erected in 1908 as a hotel for a luxury resort, however the plans for the resort were abandoned, but the building remained and became a monument of the City of Reading. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
