Monday was quite a day for investigations.
First state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale weighed into the controversy swirling around the Glen Mills Schools, the nation's oldest reform school.
DePasquale announced his office was launching an investigation into allegations of decades of abuse at the privately run, state-licensed institution. The allegations were first aired in an investigative piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
DePasquale is getting his foot in the door because, although a private institution, Glen Mills receives public funding. As auditor general, DePasquale said the focus of the probe will be on whether the school properly handled any claims of abuse and complied with all laws regarding the reporting of such cases.
"Protecting kids from abuse is job one," DePasquale said in a statement.
Glen Mills officials have steadfastly denied the charges. A school spokesman said Glen Mills would work with the auditor general to address any concerns, noting it has done likewise with other state agencies. The school has sent letters to both Attorney General Josh Shapiro and U.S. Attorney William McSwain indicating the school would welcome a visit to the campus and a "full and fair" investigation.
His becomes the latest voice raise seeking investigations of the school. Just a few hours after DePasquale released his statement, the two Democrats on Delaware County Council along with the Democratic candidate for district attorney all called for the state attorney general to investigate the claims against Glen Mills. They want current D.A. Katayoun Copeland, who previously announced her office was investigating the claims against Glen Mills, to turn the prove over to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Copeland has indicated she would not cede her investigation to state officials.
All of this followed similar calls made last week by a series of Philadelphia officials, after the city announced it was pulling any city youths from the school. Delaware County has does not have any residents currently in the school, and announced it would not be sending any new ones there until the matters are fully investigated.
Then it was time for Round 2 on the investigation front.
This one focused on the growing furor surrounding the Mariner East Pipeline project.
First a bipartisan group of state elected officials fired off a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf asking him to halt the flow of liquid gases through the controversial pipeline. They maintain Energy Transfer Partners, the Texas-based outfit that is building and operating the pipelines that make up Mariner East, has failed to adequately provide local officials with an emergency plan for first responders to use in the event of an accident involving the pipeline.
Among those who signed off on the letter were Delco Reps. Steve Barrar, R-160, Chris Quinn, R-168, and Leanne Krueger-Braneky, D-161. On the Senate side, newly minted Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26, signed off on the letter. Notably absent was Sen. Tom Killion, who represents Middletown Township, which is at the heart of the pipeline resistance.
Barrar, who chairs the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, said he wants to hold a public hearing with first responders where they can get some answers to their questions.
At the same time, out in Chester County, the Democrat running for district attorney said she wanted Shapiro to get involved in the investigation of the pipeline announced by current Republican D.A. Tom Hogan.
That probably won't sit especially well with Hogan, who followed up on his announcement of a criminal investigation into Mariner East by impaneling an investigative grand jury to hear from witnesses, review documents and decide if indictments are warranted in the case.
It turns out, Shapiro had already beaten her to the punch. Late Monday afternoon, Shapiro's office announced they had opened an investigation into Mariner East 2.
But it was why he was doing so that raised more than a few eyebrows.
For months, as citizen groups have railed against the pipeline project - which will ferry hundreds of thousands of barrels of volatile liquid gases every day from the state's Marcellus Shale region through densely populated neighborhoods in Delaware and Chester Counties to a facility in Marcus Hook - citizens have wondered where Delaware County District Attorney Copeland stood on the issue.
Now we know.
Shapiro's office said in a statement that they were opening the investigation after they got a letter of referral from Copeland.
Finally, late Monday night, Copeland's office released a statement confirming they were launching a joint investigation of the Mariner East along with the state attorney general.
“There is no question that the pipeline poses certain concerns and risks to our residents, and as District Attorney, I am working to do everything possible within my power to ensure the safety of residents," Copeland said. "At this time, we are thoroughly reviewing the evidence available to us, working with the attorney general’s Office, and seeking action within our jurisdictional boundaries. We want residents to know that we have heard their concerns, and we are willing to hear any new concerns that they may have about the pipeline by contacting my office,” said Copeland. “Due to the fact that the pipeline spans over 17 different counties in Pennsylvania, we sought assistance from our partners in law enforcement, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. As this remains an open and active investigation."
Copeland, who is running for re-election in November, went out of her way to mention several local grassroots groups that have been at the forefront of the pipeline opposition.
“I would like to thank the Del-Chesco United for Pipeline Safety, the Middletown Coalition for Community Safety, and other residents for taking the time to meet with us and sharing their concerns and formal complaints,” Copeland said.
Welcome to the party. It was that kind of day.
We laud the both investigations - of Glen Mills Schools and the Mariner East pipeline projects. The stories surrounding Glen Mills have been around for years. The controversy on the Mariner East pipeline project have been consistent since it was first announced.
Local and state agencies are right to finally hold individuals' and corporate feet to the fire and root out the truth concerning both organizations, or announce that they have not found any wrongdoing.
The questions have been around forever. Now it's time for answers.
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