In the game: Marquette Savings Bank wanted to invest more. But the $1.5 million it's adding to the pool of the Erie Downtown Development Corp. is still a welcome sign of the bank's commitment to Erie and the momentum building behind the EDDC.

Marquette's investment brings the amount formally pledged to EDDC's Erie Equity Fund to $21.5 million. The effort, led by Erie Insurance, aims to invest in property to help remake downtown Erie, with the improvements including market-rate housing and related amenities.

Marquette had hoped to invest $2.5 million in the EDDC, as other community institutions have. But Chief Executive Michael B. Edwards said that figure exceeded what regulators would allow for a bank of Marquette's size.

"Change is in the air and I really believe Erie's best days are ahead of us," Edwards said. "We want to be part of that picture.


Wrong answer: A Northampton County grand jury in December found that Pennsylvania State Police's practice of investigating shootings involving its own officers runs counter to state and nationally recognized best practices, which call for an independent probe overseen by a county's district attorney.

The grand jury called for bringing state police standards into line with those best practices. State police have responded to that sound counsel by making it clear that they'll ignore it.

Citing what the agency said was support for its practices by most of Pennsylvania's district attorneys, state police said they will continue investigating shootings involving their own. That's disappointing, though not exactly surprising.

The grand jury, convened by Northampton County's district attorney, cited a national climate of "distrust of law enforcement" in regard to officer-involved shootings and how they are investigated. The facts of the state police investigation the grand jury looked into illustrate what's in play.

Two troopers involved in the fatal shooting of a suicidal man near Easton were allowed to watch a video recording of the incident before giving statements, according to the grand jury. Can you imagine police allowing that in investigations of other homicides?

The same grand jury, by the way, found that the two troopers' actions were justified.


Coming together: After a vote by the board of East Erie County Emergency Communications, Erie County's next-generation emergency radio system will soon cover almost the entire county.

That's a welcome milestone in the long process of integrating emergency dispatching under the county's umbrella. Once East County makes the switch at the end of this year, the Millcreek Township Police Department will be the only emergency responder that's not part of the county system.

East County's move comes as the county puts in place its $23 million countywide emergency radio system. That will put emergency responders countywide on a common platform of frequencies to ensure seamless communications.