Editorials category, Page 44
Editorial: Westmoreland GOP chair says lawsuits are about eliminating rivals
So what is up with the Westmoreland County commissioners’ race? The primary election that will decide the two Republicans and two Democrats who advance to the November general election still is two months away. While legal catfights over legitimacy have become the default in Pennsylvania politics, that seems like something...
Editorial: Oscar speech a reminder of imprisoned teacher Marc Fogel
On Sunday, in front of a glittering array of Hollywood luminaries and the eyes of millions, a documentary about a man unjustly held in a Russian prison was honored with an iconic golden statuette. In accepting the Oscar, “Navalny” director Daniel Roher stood alongside a team of others — including...
Editorial: Motor License Fund bill could mean decisions for municipalities
A Pennsylvania Senate bill would see state police get less money from a dedicated pool with a different purpose. The Motor License Fund is a coffer set up to collect money from various automotive-related sources. It is filled by things such as the 61-cent gas tax, a chunk of the...
Editorial: Let the sunshine in
To remind us all of the importance of open records, Right to Know Law and government conducting business in the bright light of day, a classic Trib editorial: Sunshine Week is an annual March observation that celebrates the importance of shedding light in the darkness. It might seem like a...
Editorial: Vandergrift missed learning opportunity with playgrounds
There is no greater lesson we can teach our kids than the importance of being involved in their communities. It’s important because we need children to step up to the plate. They need to be prepared for the day when they will be the voters and taxpayers. One day, they...
Laurels & lances: Fitness, finances, found
Laurel: To the gift of fitness. Firefighters need to stay in shape. They have to be physically able to haul hoses, climb ladders, carry incapacitated people, swing axes and do it all wearing almost 50 pounds of gear. You can’t do that without making exercise a priority. And so a...
Editorial: Zabel harassment shows common ground and political division
Most problems people encounter are not specific to one party or the other. Your house can burn down regardless of how you vote. You can lose your job or get bad news from the doctor without any relationship to politics. And you can be a victim of sexual harassment despite...
Editorial: Shapiro’s budget address encourages cooperation. Is it likely?
The governor’s budget address is a landmark of Pennsylvania government every year. At least it should be. More precisely, it is the first pitch in the baseball season of state politics. Ceremonial, it lays out goals that are not likely to have much relationship to the final budget. It is...
Editorial: Honest dialogue necessary to avoid repeating the 2023 Battle of Bushy Run
The Battle of Bushy Run reenactment has a little bit of whiplash. In January, the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society was told the annual staging of the 1761 battle between British and Native American combatants could not take place. That was because of new guidelines instituted by the Pennsylvania Historical...
Editorial: Air and water testing is not just for disasters
When it comes to the environment, things can be a lot like the Reagan era saying about nuclear disarmament: trust but verify. Or sometimes distrust and verify. You cannot always see the particles in the air that make taking a breath a danger. You cannot always taste what makes the...
Editorial: New rules spell out obvious miss in House ethics
If Pennsylvania legislators ever wonder why they might not be seen as completely trustworthy, they need only to look to their track record of how they govern others versus how they govern themselves. The most infamous example is always the 2005 pay increase — passed at 2 a.m. without any...
Editorial: Transparency isn’t just valuable for bad government actions
A push for transparency is often associated with something people don’t like or don’t want. Something they would protest. Something that feels like a trick. It shouldn’t be. Transparency is just as important when it is something everyone agrees is the proper course of action. In fact, it might be...
Laurels & lances: Birthday, blast off, settlement
Laurel: To a major milestone. In 2023, Westmoreland County marks its 250th year. Commissioners kicked off the yearlong celebration Monday with the sweetest start to a birthday — cupcakes. It is just the beginning of a long list of activities expected in coming months. Among those is a public meeting...
Editorial: Teacher financial aid would fill state education needs
Pennsylvania needs teachers. The U.S. Census Bureau puts the number of children in the state at 20% of its population of 13 million. That’s more than 2.6 million. It has 500 public school districts with more than 3,200 individual schools. That doesn’t include charters, parochial schools, private schools, preschools or...
Editorial: The lessons of Mark Rozzi’s short-lived speakership
Mark Rozzi says he accomplished what he wanted as Pennsylvania’s speaker of the House of Representatives. That would be the two votes he oversaw last week, getting the House to pass its half of legislation that could lead to child sex abuse victims — like Rozzi — having a window...
Editorial: PennDOT sign cleanup shows slow response time
As the song goes: signs, signs, everywhere signs. Except in Gilpin. In Gilpin, signs were disappearing. Signs advertising restaurants. Signs advertising businesses. Signs on little metal legs, stuck into the ground near major roads. It was suspicious. These kinds of signs being removed isn’t unusual. It is just more typical...
Editorial: Youth voices bring new perspective to local government
There is a lot of conversation about getting young people involved. It usually refers to voting. Sometimes it hits on things like volunteering or reading the news — anything that gets youth interested and engaged in what is going on around them. What is less mentioned is participation in government...
Editorial: The burden of Pennsylvania taxes
It’s great to make the top half of a list. If you’re talking about public school test scores or high net income, that’s the place to be. Even on a more frivolous topic, you get a little thrill seeing your name at the head of the class. Pennsylvania, for instance,...
Editorial: Rozzi scores with sex abuse bill passage
Pennsylvania Speaker Mark Rozzi has finally accomplished what he promised would be the state House of Representatives’ first action under his leadership. On Friday, the House passed the legislation that will give a window of opportunity for victims to sue over child sexual abuse claims that otherwise would be outside...
Laurels & lances: Supporting and sneezing
Laurel: To coping with problems. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli wants to expand efforts to help kids deal with trauma. The Handle with Care Program is a collaboration with New Kensington-Arnold School District, Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Highlands Family Center and police in Arnold and New Kensington using a $250,000...
Editorial: Adult crimes and juvenile defendants pose unique challenges
In Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, significant charges have been pressed against kids who can’t even drive yet. A 14-year-old already on probation is charged in a fatal shooting in Carrick. A 16-year-old is charged with providing the gun to a 15-year-old for a planned robbery; the 15-year-old was subsequently shot...
Editorial: Why does Pa. Department of Health want to keep marijuana data secret?
Privacy and transparency can be natural enemies. People have an assumption of privacy when it comes to their information — financial, legal, business and especially medical. However, the public has a right to transparency regarding the decisions that are made in their name and the expenses that are charged to...
Editorial: In wake of train crash, Norfolk Southern reps must be seen to be believed
East Palestine, Ohio, is not the only place where Norfolk Southern has tracks and runs trains. The Georgia-based railroad company is the fifth-largest railway in the country. It operates about 19,500 miles of track crisscrossing the eastern United States. It pulled in $11.14 billion in revenue in 2021. The company...
Editorial: Is Pennsylvania a death penalty state or not?
Gov. Josh Shapiro is continuing the pattern Pennsylvania’s executives have perfected over the last 24 years. On Thursday, Shapiro said he will continue following in his predecessors’ footsteps by not permitting executions to move forward. Pennsylvania will continue being a death penalty state that does not put people to death....
Editorial: Calls for Marc Fogel’s release must continue until Russia sends him home
WNBA star Brittney Griner has been home for 10 weeks. It was Dec. 8 that she was released from a Russian prison after months in custody for possession of a small amount of medically prescribed cannabis. It took a concerted effort from the highest levels of the federal government. A...
