Editorials category, Page 50
Editorial: Anthony DeLuca’s public service set example for others to follow
In just two months shy of 40 years, Anthony DeLuca saw a lot in Harrisburg. When he took office in 1982 representing the people of the 32nd District in the state House of Representatives, Richard Thornburgh was governor. DeLuca’s Democratic Party held the majority in the House, while the Republicans...
Editorial: When a high court justice dies, who should decide a replacement?
A high court justice dies. It leaves a hole on the bench. Normally that’s a simple fix. Point to a replacement. Go through the process. Swear on a Bible. Done. But throw in an election, and you have a real wrench in the gears. This all sounds familiar, doesn’t it?...
Editorial: North Hills decision is unsatisfying compromise
Sometimes compromise is a good thing. It brings people together on a middle ground where everyone can agree to work together. That’s how houses are sold, with people arriving at a price one party is willing to pay and the other is willing to accept. That’s how employment contracts are...
Editorial: Pennsylvania needs to test schools for radon
Radon could be almost anywhere. You can’t see it like smoke. It is colorless and transparent. You can’t smell it like a gas leak. It gives off no telltale scent. You can’t feel it in the air like the moisture of a foggy day. It is as stealthy as it...
Editorial: Making naloxone more affordable is lifesaving
Naloxone is a life saver. There is no way around it. There are few drugs that even in the most untrained hands have the ability to flip the switch on a medical emergency. It can pull someone away from the edge of a deadly narcotic overdose and give a second...
Laurels & lances: Pride and disappointment
Laurel: To an urge to help. It will take a while for Florida to recover from Hurricane Ian. The storm that slammed into the Fort Myers and Cape Coral areas at Category 4 strength last week is projected to be the most deadly and costly hurricane in decades. It was...
Editorial: Rental assistance flub is object lesson in government screw-ups
Imagine you have fallen into a hole. You have no way out on your own. You can’t climb out. You have no tools at your disposal. You’re stuck — and to make matters worse, it looks like you can’t stay put either. There’s water coming in, rising fast and threatening...
Editorial: Public defense needs to be better spelled out in Pa.
The criminal legal system is built on the balance of power between the prosecution and defense. The sides are meant to be as equal as possible in a process that is far from perfect but is still a formula for prosecution and defense to do their part to arrive at...
Editorial: Should municipalities hold the line on taxes?
With 2022 moving into October, it enters a predictable season. No, not Halloween. Not the relentless march to the end-of-year holidays. Not the chilly transition to fall and then winter. Taxes. Specifically, it’s time for municipalities to start talking about budgets and whether they will raise the amount of tax...
Editorial: How many state parks is enough?
Pennsylvania is filled with natural beauty. The rivers. The forests. The mountains. The state is teeming with wildlife from the valleys of the southwest to the Appalachian peaks of the north-central region and the slopes to the sea of the Chesapeake watershed. It’s a vital part of what makes the...
Editorial: How will we handle schooling in the next emergency?
There was little question that the coronavirus pandemic would have widespread ramifications. It would hit the economy. It would hit social services. It would hit government and retail, and let’s not forget hospitals. But from the beginning, one of the main concerns was how it would impact education. The answer...
Editorial: Is this the right year to cut ballot drop boxes, Westmoreland County?
If you are a Westmoreland County voter who uses the drop box at the courthouse to cast your ballot, you are out of luck. On Wednesday, a plan to provide that option again died. It wasn’t that it was voted down. Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher put it on the table....
Laurels & lances: Growing, going, giving
Laurel: To a grand gourd. Westmoreland County made a good showing with a super squash. Eric Gunstrom of Harrison City was awarded first place in the 58th annual Barnesville, Ohio, Pumpkin Festival with a monster vegetable weighing in at 2,405 pounds. It took an investment of about 30 hours per...
Editorial: Judah Samet provided example in sharing stories of Holocaust, Tree of Life
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year. It is the start of the High Holy Days — a time of celebration and a time to revel in the honeyed sweetness of life and goodness of God. It is marked by the phrase “Shanah tovah,” meaning “good year.” This year, Rosh...
Editorial: Did GOP lawmakers overplay hand with amendment package?
Gov. Tom Wolf is taking a step back and following a new path in getting a Pennsylvania court to agree that a package of amendments proposed by the state Legislature didn’t play by the rules. The governor took the recommendation of the state Supreme Court and backtracked to take his...
Editorial: Impact of gun violence transcends victims and must be addressed
“Three shot at Kennywood.” “Man shot in McKeesport.” “One man fatally shot, one wounded in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.” “Vehicles struck by gunfire in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood.” “Two juveniles shot in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden. “ Those are the headlines from one weekend’s violence in the Pittsburgh area. Just one weekend. Why?...
Editorial: Fix income ceilings for property tax and rent rebates — permanently
The Pennsylvania Legislature has done a great job of streaming things that matter to lawmakers — namely their raises. The lawmakers have made sure those increases are simple and efficient. A cost of living adjustment has not just been optional; since 1995, it’s been the law. For almost 30 years,...
Editorial: How much is Penn State’s public-private hybrid status worth?
When is a public meeting public, and when can it be private? It’s a question we have pondered a lot — mostly because every level of government and variety of public agency seems to try the boundaries like kids testing a substitute teacher’s resolve. The Pennsylvania Sunshine Act is the...
Editorial: Without gift ban, Harrisburg is the Wild West
When an elected official receives something, there are different ways to look at it. It might be a completely legal donation. These follow election laws and are documented accordingly. If you want to know if Person X donated to Politician Y, there is a database to search to find an...
Laurels and lances: Trials and errors
Laurel: To moving ahead. The Tree of Life shooting happened in October 2018. The world hardly seems like the same place today, separated by so many things that have happened between then and now. Pittsburgh has a different mayor. The country has a different president. We saw huge losses and...
Editorial: Archivist’s role shouldn’t be political
Let’s stop making things political that don’t have to be. There is nothing inherently political about being a librarian. It’s a job that involves caring for and fostering the use of books. It requires organization, attention to detail and the ability to help someone locate what they need, whether it...
Editorial: Volunteers are vital to Southwestern Pennsylvania
The oft-used phrase is “it takes a village to raise a child.” In updated parlance, it isn’t so much a village as it is a volunteer — or lots of volunteers. It is hard to calculate everything in our lives that is done by someone who isn’t collecting a paycheck...
Editorial: Voluntary exclusion could help with addiction
Addiction is a complicated thing. It is a craving for something that creates a pleasurable response in the brain, prompted by the way chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin swirl around in the system. We generally associate it with regulated or illegal substances such as opioids or nicotine or alcohol,...
Editorial: Season tickets could be good for more than Steelers games
Season tickets are a great way for fans to not only see their favorite teams but also to show that their commitment goes deeper than a T-shirt or a bumper sticker. Steelers season tickets are a way to timeshare a slice of Acrisure Stadium — that still feels weird —...
Editorial: Fix medical marijuana loopholes before growing to recreational use
Pennsylvania has a marijuana problem. The state legalized weed for medical use in 2016. Dispensaries started opening their doors two years later, with the government picking up a 5% tax on sales. That translates to millions in revenue for the public coffers. Dispensaries were barely opened when the discussion of...
