Editorials category, Page 6
Editorial: Budget vote doesn’t make funding flow
The state budget is passed. It’s been signed by the governor. Four months of confusion and belt-tightening is over. But does that mean a handle turns and state funding starts to pour toward all of the restricted agencies and programs like water from a faucet? Not at all. Counties and...
Editorial: What does selling naming rights buy a school?
If there’s one thing public schools understand, it’s how to apply math to a word problem. “Jimmy has five apples” and “a train leaves Philadelphia heading east at 30 miles per hour” are the kind of things that show up in homework, teaching kids that math problems don’t just come...
Editorial: Naming new chief is just a first step for Pittsburgh, O’Connor
Pittsburgh has had a rocky road in recent years with its police leadership. Scott Schubert retired in 2022, bringing to end almost three decades with the department and five years as chief. Since then, things have run like a game of Chutes and Ladders — moving forward and sliding back....
Laurels & lances: Action & inaction
Laurel: To asking for more. Brackenridge residents aren’t waiting for small problems to become big trouble. At a meeting this week, resident Heather Artman made a simple but important point: If ordinances aren’t enforced, they don’t matter. Maybe uncut grass and overflowing garbage cans don’t seem like a big deal,...
Editorial: Ending of government stalemates doesn’t negate damage
November is when families finally come together around a table and accomplish one thing that may have been hard to do for months. They have a meal and try to get along. Maybe it’s the impending Thanksgiving holiday that has prompted the Pennsylvania and federal governments to finally do what...
Editorial: Pennsylvania’s Act 111 does not protect good policing
Police enforce accountability — sometimes through arrests, sometimes through simply maintaining order. It is understandable that the public expects police to be accountable as well. It is confusing to have the law stand in the way of that. If an officer is fired for some kind of abuse of power,...
Editorial: Pittsburgh’s new mayor must be the bridge to what’s next
Pittsburgh’s mayor needs to be like the city — full of bridges. The mayor has to find a way to cross deep, perilous financial waters. The mayor has to span the chasm between the needs of residents and the demands of business. The mayor has to travel from the promises...
Editorial: The curse of cross-filing
Do you even remember a judicial election? In all the time you’ve been a voter — making choices and casting ballots — do you ever recall a campaign for a Pennsylvania judge at any level? Probably not. In Pennsylvania, judicial elections typically have been the blunt side of partisanship. Presidential,...
Editorial: Voters chose confidence in election machines
The voters of Westmoreland County were clear when they showed up at the polls. They picked a side. They made a choice. They went with the voting machines. In September, the county’s Republican commissioners approved a $40,000 plan to add optional paper ballots for the November election, citing a 2024...
Laurels & lances: Preparing & polling
Laurel: To giving shelter. People across the region are bracing for temperatures that continue to fall — and for the first snow of the season. While no one looks forward to the shift from wearing sweaters to paying heating bills, some have no home to heat. That’s a dangerous place...
Editorial: High turnout shows Pennsylvania voters are engaged
It isn’t really a surprise when people don’t turn out for an election the year after a president is selected. Especially in Pennsylvania. As a perennial swing state, Pennsylvania is lobbied hard during a presidential year. The ads are everywhere — on TV, on the radio, online and in mailboxes,...
Editorial: The common cents of planning ahead on eliminating the penny
Sometimes a decision is as easy as a coin toss. The stakes are low. The outcome is variable. Heads, you win. Tails, you lose. No big deal either way. Others may seem easy up front, but a little digging shows the process needs more care. Take, for instance, the penny....
Editorial: Duty doesn’t wait for big election years
An old Dutch story tells us the importance of doing what is necessary when duty demands. The Netherlands is a low-lying country prone to flooding. A system of earth and stone embankments makes up the defenses that hold back the water. The familiar tale speaks of a boy who noticed...
Editorial: Two government crises face Pennsylvanians
Pennsylvania is feeling a pinch other states aren’t. Oh sure, everyone is embroiled in the now month-old federal government shutdown. As of Saturday, what started out bad, with federal employees either sent home or working without pay, got worse as important programs were set to shut down. The Supplemental Nutrition...
Editorial: Courthouse settlement shows high price of denying reality
The long saga of the Westmoreland County Courthouse renovations has reached its conclusion. Perhaps you thought it was already at an end. After all, the parking garage reopened in July 2023 and the plaza and front entrance were in use a month later. The issue was that was far later...
Editorial: NBA scandal was predictable
Everyone saw this coming except the NBA. It seemed obvious: An industry built on winning money instead of earning it will attract those willing to break the rules to make a buck. And yet, when news broke last week about FBI arrests, including a current NBA head coach and player,...
Laurels & lances: Helping in times of need
Laurel: To being in the right place at the right time. Arnold police Chief Rob Haus is used to being in the thick of an emergency. He’s not just a law enforcement officer. He’s also a trained EMT. His wife, Crystal, is also no stranger to a life-or-death situation. She’s...
Editorial: Narduzzi advice is better than NCAA rules on gambling
Coaches — no matter the sport or the discipline — help make people better at what they do. Voice coaches help turn good singers into stars. Dialect coaches can be the difference between a wannabe and an Oscar winner. A good defensive line coach could turn a struggling team around...
Editorial: Courtrooms aren’t ready for AI
“Pro se” is a legal phrase that speaks to how an individual is represented in court. It is Latin, meaning “for self.” It refers to a party acting as his or her own advocate in a legal proceeding. While a lawyer may be the smart move, a person isn’t obligated...
Editorial: Will promises ever be kept in the Hill District?
There was a time in the early part of the 20th century when a handful of Black neighborhoods in America blossomed in a celebration of culture, economy and expression. One of those was Pittsburgh’s Hill District. This month, the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame honored its inaugural class of regional history-makers....
Editorial: Most Americans don’t think Democrats or Republicans care about them
We spend a lot of time talking about the problem of polarization in today’s politics. If you get down to it, however, most of that happens, well, at the fringes — either end of the pole, if you will. What’s more normal, in our experience, is for the average American...
Editorial: Pa. Supreme Court retention is historically brutal fight
People talk a lot about “election years.” When they use that term, they usually mean the presidential elections that roll around every four years. Perhaps they mean the midterms — the largely legislative elections that come up every two years. Maybe they mean the years when gubernatorial elections are held...
Editorial: The people have a right to know about government settlements
Legal settlements can be a locked box of information. In September, Reuters reported Tesla settled two cases regarding California crashes involving Autopilot software weeks after a $243 million award in a Florida case. Details in the California settlements were confidential. When it comes to a corporation, keeping details quiet can be...
Laurels & lances: Fame, shame & hope
Laurel: To shining stars. On Monday, the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame was unveiled on Smallman Street in the Strip District. The inaugural class of honorees featured 10 people who have shaped the history and culture of the region, from investigative journalist Nellie Bly and industrialist Andrew Carnegie to baseball great...
Editorial: Enough finger-pointing. Pass a budget
The Pennsylvania Senate on Monday passed a bill to let winners of large lottery prizes remain anonymous. The bill now moves to the House for consideration. It’s a good idea. The Pennsylvania Lottery awards a number of big-ticket prizes every year, from Powerball jackpots to the Millionaire Raffles to scratch-offs....
