Editorials category, Page 9
Editorial: Again with the mail-in ballot envelopes?
Here we are at the end of August, heading into familiar rituals. Kids are back in school. Football is in full swing. Pumpkin spice lattes are heralding the start of fall. And once more, the rules about mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania are being juggled — tossed in the air and...
Editorial: Will Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ lead to a bad ‘Reputation’ for Democrats?
Yes, Taylor Swift is getting married. We know. The whole world came to a grinding halt Tuesday when the world’s biggest pop star announced her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs standout Travis Kelce. It drew a line in the zeitgeist, dividing it into B.E. (Before Engagement) and A.E. (After Engagement)....
Laurels & lances: Red lights & restitution
Laurel: To slowing down. Pittsburgh City Council is taking steps toward using cameras at red lights. Council authorized the use of automated red light enforcement last year. The technology would snap pictures of drivers who run lights and then send them tickets by mail. Now they are working toward a...
Editorial: Back to school means back to violence
Across Western Pennsylvania, kids are going back to school. College dorms are overflowing. High school football games are lighting up Friday nights. School buses are back on the roads taking little ones with backpacks and new shoes to class. The lazy days of summer are over, and the jam-packed schedules...
Editorial: New drugs, same crisis
The history of drug use in America is not necessarily a story of opium dens and crack houses. It’s a story of substances that weren’t illegal until they were abused. Patent medicines might be everything from a cold medicine on the shelf of a general store to the snake oil...
Editorial: IUP should clearly spell out hazing penalties
When you have a child or a pet that does something wrong, it’s important to address the situation immediately. Did your son hit his sister? You don’t want to let the fight go on and on and maybe talk about it Saturday. That sends the message the action wasn’t important....
Editorial: Power, money and the cost of scrapping our election system
It is no secret that President Donald Trump does not like mail-in voting. “Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn’t work out well for Republicans,” he said of it on Twitter in 2020. Despite pushback from officials across the country who have maintained the practice is safe...
Editorial: Firefighting under the influence is a danger to all — including public trust
Is there anyone we trust more than a firefighter ? These are the people who don’t just respond when called. They literally walk into fire. But despite the name, fire is only part of the job. They pull people out of vehicles when they are trapped there after a crash....
Laurels & lances: Animal edition
Laurel: To family fun. The Westmoreland Fair is all about bringing the community together with events and attractions that can satisfy people of all ages. Concerts to camel rides, rodeos to rabbit agility courses — there’s almost nothing you can’t find at the fair. And for some, it’s a family...
Editorial: Sinkholes are a Pennsylvania problem. Lawmakers could do something about them
Remember when old movies and television shows gave us the impression quicksand was the great scourge lurking beneath our feet? Nope. The number of deaths due to quicksand is so small it’s not statistically significant enough to track. But sinkholes are another story. The number of sinkholes is too varied...
Editorial: Overpaying for Pittsburgh’s vehicle maintenance makes no financial sense
Imagine you are trying to save money on your grocery budget while making sure you get the food you need at the same time. You sign up for a subscription service that promises groceries for a flat fee every month. It’s a common scenario. It’s the business model behind dozens...
Editorial: Clairton Coke Works investigation demands safety board continue to exist
The explosion at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works is one of those massive incidents that require a careful, methodical review. The collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge occurred Jan. 28, 2022. The final report from the National Transportation Safety Board was issued March 22, 2024. The Federal Railroad Administration’s final report...
Editorial: The 401(k) needs better guardrails
Tax-advantaged employer-sponsored retirement savings accounts hit a milestone not long ago: At least half of all private sector U.S. workers now participate in a 401(k). That is good news in this respect: The alternative of not saving money for retirement could prove crushing. Finance experts have long cautioned against relying...
Editorial: Why are Pittsburgh college students staying in hotels instead of dorms?
College students can take the dorm experience seriously. You can’t walk into Walmart or Target without hitting a wall of ready-for-campus furnishings and accessories. For many, the must-haves range from comforters and clothes baskets to microwaves and mini fridges. Social media is thick with inspiration pictures and decorating videos. But...
Editorial: Where is the justice in not charging for a child’s death by DUI?
It took almost a year but charges finally have been filed in the death of Roxanne Bonnoni. Well, not really. The 11-year-old Natrona girl was killed Aug. 20, 2024 when she was crossing North Canal Street near Kuntz Road in Harrison. It was 7:15 p.m. The vehicle that hit her...
Laurels & lances: Convenience stores & school board wars
Laurel: To an unexpected appearance. Convenience stores are there to provide things you need quickly and easily. A tank of gas, a gallon of milk, an unexpected live rock concert. Wait, what? On Friday afternoon, alt-rock band All-American Rejects started teasing an appearance in Pittsburgh on TikTok. Sheetz jumped in...
Editorial: Money’s role in American politics could get even worse
Our nation’s campaign finance laws are a mess. Money has never been so influential in American politics, and it could get worse. The Supreme Court is set to hear a case about how much money political parties can spend on campaigns in coordination with candidates. The National Republican Senatorial Committee,...
Editorial: Is it finally time for legal marijuana in Pennsylvania?
President Donald Trump is mulling a move on marijuana. The president said Monday his administration was considering rescheduling the substance, moving it from Schedule I to a Schedule III. Scheduled drugs are medications or other substances classified based on their impacts. Marijuana is a Schedule I drug, meaning it has...
Editorial: Clairton Coke Works explosion is moment of calm in partisan storm
Partisanship is what happens in the quiet spaces between calamity. When trains are derailing or cars are crashing, there is no question of affiliation. When a building is burning, no one asks how the firefighters voted. When a hurricane smashes against the shore, Democrats and Republicans and those who have...
Editorial: The Fed was right to say no on interest rates
The Federal Reserve resisted pressure from the White House on July 30 and left its policy rate unchanged. It was the right decision. As Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged, the case for a cut was a bit stronger this time than in June — and two of the Fed’s policymakers, in...
Editorial: Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission fails transparency test
There are certain things we can depend upon in Pennsylvania. As certain as the sun will rise, there will be potholes, there will be football rivalries and the state Legislature will lock horns over something that should be an easy compromise. But hey, sometimes the potholes get paved (except at...
Editorial: Will Mark Cuban partnership be the right prescription for pharmacy ills?
A company has to make a profit to stay in business. Everything has a cost, and those costs go up. To stay ahead of that curve, and to make sure the owner or investors are also getting a pay day, a company needs to make more money than it pays...
Laurels & lances: Policy & pension
Laurel: To appropriate action. Allegheny County President Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente has taken the right steps to address a problem in the courtrooms, and she did it with a two-line email. “Dear Judges, I write to remind you all that you only have authority to adjudicate cases and enter orders...
Editorial: Pittsburgh needs more police
Problems exist nationwide in recruiting and retention of police. There are almost 18,000 police agencies in the United States, and many have been seeing their ranks thin since 2019. The International Association of Chiefs of Police surveyed departments in 2024 and found, on average, departments operating at about 91% capacity....
Editorial: Denning’s plea acknowledges responsibility for Pennsylvania crimes
On Monday, a man in a dark blue prison jumpsuit stepped out of a Westmoreland County Sheriff’s van at the courthouse. His wrists were circled in handcuffs and bound to a chain around his waist. His ankles were similarly shackled. He looked like what he is: a criminal. He looked...
