Editorials category, Page 28
Editorial: Can civility return to politics?
On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania primary confirmed what everyone already knew: President Joe Biden, a Democrat, will face off against former president and Republican Donald Trump in November in a replay of the 2020 election. In a similarly unsurprising revelation, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, will defend his seat against his...
Editorial: Giving district judge probation from doing arraignment is right sentence
Arraignment is the first step in the journey of a criminal case through the court system. While arrest might kick off the process, it is arraignment that sets a case on its path. It’s where a defendant is formally charged. It’s also the first time that person might plead guilty...
Laurels & lances: Passover, primary and Kennywood Park
Laurel: To a celebration of faith. Across the region and around the world, Passover is being celebrated. The commemoration of the end of Hebrew slavery in Egypt connects the Jewish people with their faith and their history. The holiday has a poignant feeling this year amid the Israel-Hamas war —...
Editorial: Biden administration rule is no substitute for congressional action
The environmental disaster caused by a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year should have spurred federal lawmakers to take seriously the need to improve rail safety. But a measure passed by the Senate languishes in a House that struggles to accomplish anything of consequence. A Biden administration rule...
Editorial: Can new architect put Hempfield project back on track?
Hempfield Area School District has a new architect. The board hired Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates of Mechanicsburg after the resignation of Core Architects in February. It is the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of the school district’s plan to renovate the high school. The project has dragged on for...
Editorial: Pittsburgh City Council briefings skirt intent of transparency requirements
Government transparency is black and white. Records are either open or they aren’t. A meeting is public or it isn’t. There are reasons for both. The majority of government activity should happen in the open. It should be well documented. It should be searchable, accessible and with as few hurdles...
Editorial: Voting is your duty and your obligation
Every year, twice a year, we do our best to push you to the polls. It’s your duty, we tell you. That is true. It’s your responsibility, we stress. Also true. It is your privilege, we encourage. Just being accurate. But, this year, we are adding one more item to...
Editorial: U.S. needs to make more and faster strides on Fogel release
It took only nine months, but the U.S. Senate took its first step toward pushing for Marc Fogel’s release from a Russian prison. At this rate, the Oakmont teacher may serve his whole sentence before he receives any real help. On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations voted for...
Editorial: Mental health is more important than political power
The Pennsylvania state House of Representatives could be changing yet again. For the last two years the legislative chamber has been on a roller coaster as lawmakers have been voted in, stepped down or moved on. That’s meant special elections, keeping the House with its hair-thin majority question in a...
Laurels & lances: History and repetition
Laurel: To living history. It’s no secret that Pennsylvania’s origin story is the origin story of the nation. But a New Kensington woman brings it to life with her own family tree. Mary Lee Brady-Atkins, 95, is a remarkable woman. She got her bachelor’s degree from Pitt before moving on...
Editorial: Coal workers’ respiratory health must be priority
“Today, we’re making it clear that no job should be a death sentence.” That should go without saying, but acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su spelled it out Tuesday as she announced new standards for exposure to silica dust. Silica dust may not sound dangerous, but for some industries it...
Editorial: Shawn Denning’s actions betrayed people and police
Shawn Denning has admitted to drug crimes. The former Greensburg police chief was arrested in January 2023. Federal charges were filed against him as part of a methamphetamine and cocaine investigation detailing 16 months of activity. That puts the start of the probe before taking over the department as interim...
Editorial: Will Mt. Pleasant boy’s death change federal law?
J.R. Gustafson should be 21 years old. He should be a volunteer firefighter. He should be hunting and fishing and loving life with his family in Mt. Pleasant. But Gustafson’s life was cut short at just 13. He was in seventh grade when he was killed by a 14-year-old friend....
Editorial: What’s next for U.S. Steel deal?
U.S. Steel stockholders Friday voted for the merger with Japanese-based Nippon Steel Corp. It was not a close decision, with 71% of stockholders voting and 98% of those approving the proposal. For perspective, the last U.S. president to be elected with a margin like that was James Monroe in 1816....
Editorial: Smart, timely action needed on electric vehicle fees
How much should electric vehicle owners contribute toward the cost of Pennsylvania’s roads? It’s a question that needs to be answered. The state Legislature is trying. Pennsylvania has more than 41,000 miles of state-maintained roads. That’s a lot of asphalt and salt for maintenance, not to mention billions of dollars...
Laurels & lances: Texting and scamming
Laurel: To good technology. Text messaging has become one of the primary reminders in our lives. Order a pizza? A text tells you when it’s being delivered. Your kid missed school? A text confirms the absence was excused. Texts remind you of doctor appointments, flight times, hotel reservations and more....
Editorial: Anonymous donations to government create questions — and silence them
Anonymous donations are nice when it comes to things like a new wing in an art museum or urgent assistance for a natural disaster. An anonymous donation in these instances is easily understood as altruism. There is little that a museum can give back in return other than appreciation and...
Editorial: Is Lee-Patel race a bellwether for Pennsylvania in presidential year?
In 2023, Allegheny County illustrated a changing reality of politics. It’s not just about Democrat and Republican. The fight for district attorney might have been decided in the primary. The incumbent, Stephen A. Zappala Jr., was seeking his seventh term but lost the May Democratic primary to public defender Matt...
Editorial: Pittsburgh is right to appeal reinstatement of officer in Jim Rogers’ death
The city of Pittsburgh is appealing an arbitration decision that gave a police officer’s job back after a man died. It is the right move by the city. Officer Keith Edmonds was terminated in March 2022 after the October 2021 death of Jim Rogers. Edmonds was dispatched to a call...
Editorial: What will you learn from the eclipse?
The sun does not hide behind the moon that often. OK, that’s not quite true. A solar eclipse happens about twice a year, even up to five times a year. A total eclipse, where the moon blacks out sun leaving only a brilliant halo, happens about once every year and...
Editorial: 10 years after Franklin Regional attack, school violence still needs treatment
On April 9, 2014, Franklin Regional High School became part of a club no one wants join: the locations of school violence. Alex Hribal was 16 that day. He showed up at school that Wednesday morning dressed in black. Minutes before classes began, the attack began. Like all such attacks,...
Editorial: Can dual enrollment solve college cost problem?
All conversations about college tend to boil down to the same problem: It just costs too much. The average cost of one year in college is about $19,000. That puts Pitt and Penn State in that arena. As state related but not state run, they are high for public schools...
Laurels & lances: Baseball and social media
Laurel: To kicking things off. It’s here. The start of the Major League Baseball season. All across the country — and Toronto — people are getting psyched for the boys of summer to start playing ball. Pittsburgh Pirates fans have an uncharacteristic reason to be enthusiastic. In a normal year,...
Editorial: Government meetings should be accessible
Public meetings are meant to be public. Government isn’t supposed to happen in offices away from the eyes of the people. Oh, sure, much of the execution of government has to happen that way, but the decision making and the discussions? That has to happen where people can see. That’s...
Editorial: Railway Safety Act shouldn’t be derailed
The rules that make us safer always follow the examples of how safe we are not. In 1911, 146 people — 123 of them women and girls — died in Manhattan when the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory burned. It remains one of the deadliest industrial accidents in American history, but it...
