EDITORIAL: Thumbs up for Snoops Neighborhood Watch 13

Sept. 27--Watch out: Erie Police Chief Randy Bowers credited Jeremy Bloeser, executive director of the Bayfront Eastside Task Force, with helping to catch a burglary suspect Sept. 17. Bloeser called police after he spotted a man knocking on the front door of a residence on Parade Street; the man then went to the back of the house. Kahil Lomax Moore, 19, was charged with attempting to steal electronics and other items.

Neighborhood organizations are also dedicated to revitalization, in addition to looking out for crime. John Villa, coordinator of the Snoops Neighborhood Watch 13 Association, which covers East 12th to 15th streets from Parade to Wallace streets, made that point in a post on the Points of Light volunteer service website, www.pointsoflight.org. "Change is going to take a long time. If you're serious about wanting to change your neighborhood, never give up."

The Snoops Association, all-volunteer since it started in 1995, now has a full-time manager, Susan Moyer, who formerly worked at the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network and at B.E.S.T.

Religious experience: People who took part in the Erie County Historical Society's Sacred Spaces tour on Sept. 11 were impressed by the dedicated congregation members who put their hearts and souls into crafting 12 beautiful structures in the city that have stood the test of time.

As congregation members age, move or die, there is concern about whether some houses of worship will survive. At the same time, members of Erie's anti-violence task force are concerned because fewer young people are connected to a religious institution. Can a weekend of free Christian music concerts at the Rock the Lakes Erie festival change that?

The Billy Graham Evangelical Association hopes so. It is sponsoring performances by well-known Christian artists at Erie Insurance Arena tonight at 6 and Sunday at 5 p.m.

World class: Congratulations to the Model United Nations team from Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy for being named one of the top 150 Model UN teams in the country by Bestdelegate, an organization that provides training and resources for Model UN programs.

Collegiate Academy, from the Mid-Atlantic Region, was recognized because of its first-place finish in the small school division at the 2013 Washington Area Model UN Conference sponsored by George Washington University, according to Collegiate teacher Brian Lasher, Model UN adviser. The Collegiate team also finished first at Model UN conferences at Gannon and Mercyhurst universities, he said. In a world with so much turmoil, it's good to know that young people are eager to learn about and act on international issues.

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