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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Ryan Shafik: Time to end corrupt endorsement process
Every year in Pennsylvania Republican politics, there is a dog-and-pony show that occurs mostly unseen by the average voter. Known simply in Keystone State political parlance as “the endorsement,” it’s a protracted process of wannabe candidates cloyingly ingratiating themselves to the few hundred apparatchiks comprising the Republican State Committee (RSC),...
Kelly Hunt: SBA helps entrepreneurs keep New Year’s resolutions
Taylor Bryner-Spaw and James Kunkel are having a busy January. Both are coaches for Fayette and Westmoreland County residents hoping to make good on New Year’s resolutions. Bryner-Spaw, 25, owner of the newly launched Spin Unlimited, is busy coaching cycling classes so attendees can achieve their fitness goals, while Kunkel...
Sen. Ryan Aument: We’re No. 22 — and that’s bad news
It is almost surreal to look at numbers and rankings that show Pennsylvania floundering in comparison to other states, but this freakish economic landscape that puts us behind Ohio and Indiana speaks to a rock-solid reality. Our state’s reputation for high taxes, unfriendly regulatory climate and stagnant manufacturing growth quantifies...
Dr. Andrew Smolar: Group belonging — teamwork or tribal divisions
I remember the thrill when Mrs. Tanzman organized a fifth-grade circle. We were to become musicians, costume designers and producers of “South Pacific.” I was new to performing, and I learned lifelong lessons: Everyone had to move in a synchronized way for scenes to mesh, and nothing was as uplifting...
Bibiana Boerio: Nordenberg noble guide for reapportionment
Last May, when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court appointed Mark Nordenberg chair of the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission, I had three reactions. One, what a perfect choice. Two, why would he ever agree to do this? Three, he would do it because he is a man whose career demonstrated the value...
Reps. Danilo Burgos, Angel Cruz and Manny Guzman: Redistricting plan will improve Latino representation
Since the approval of the preliminary plan for Pennsylvania’s state House of Representatives on Dec. 16, there has been a significant amount of discussion about how this map impacts communities of color across the commonwealth. As Latino members of the House, we feel compelled to address these important concerns. We...
Sen. Gene Yaw: What critics get wrong about energy choice
Last month, seven environmental groups wrote a misguided letter to Philadelphia officials bashing legislation that I sponsored as counterintuitive to the city’s decarbonization goals. In October, six Democrats, including two from the southeast corner of the state, joined all 28 Republicans and our chamber’s lone independent to approve Senate Bill...
Joshua Colangelo-Bryan: The first prisoners arrived at Guantanamo Bay 20 years ago. Will it ever close?
On Jan. 11, 2002, a U.S. military plane landed at our base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the first men deemed “the worst of the worst” by then-Vice President Dick Cheney were brought into the now-infamous detention center. Jumah Al-Dossari, a citizen of both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia whom I...
Meg Snead: Investments in human services industries are an investment in our future
For many Pennsylvanians, the people I call our caring workforce that make up the fabric of our social safety net give us the freedom to do our jobs and provide for our families. For those of us with young children, we depend on our early childhood education providers to keep...
Cal Thomas: Competition and choice needed in education
For the third straight day last week, the Chicago Teachers Union canceled classes, choosing to return to virtual learning and citing dangers from the omicron variant as their excuse. To many, this is seen as nothing more than a teachers’ strike and power grab executed by a union that historically...
Greg Fulton: Another Steelers long shot that paid off
With the Steelers unpredictably making it to the playoffs and being a long shot in going further, it’s a good time to reflect on another fortuitous long shot in the team’s past. You won’t see Rocky Bleier’s name associated with many individual records, but he was a key part of...
Gov. Tom Wolf: Final year will focus on issues that matter most
The start of a new year is always a time of reflection. As I enter my final year in office, I want the people of Pennsylvania to know that I continue to be deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve you as governor. It has been the greatest honor of...
Dr. Alessandra Hirsch: Omicron and the last straw
On Dec. 23, as the Centers for Disease Control released its emergency guidance for health care facilities on returning to work, my ob/gyn residency program was split into three groups. Some of us were preparing to celebrate the Christmas holiday during our time off, making difficult decisions about whether or...
Diana Steck, Michael Pardus and Bob Mason: Westmoreland County needs a people’s American Rescue Plan
The historic American Rescue Plan passed because working people of all races stood up, turned out and demanded a government that works for all of us. By the end of January, Westmoreland County commissioners have to finalize a plan to use the first portion of the $100 million the county...
Richard Kauzlarich: U.S. natural gas critical to strengthening America’s national security
In recent months, European gas prices have risen as much as 700%, leaving millions of citizens vulnerable to a dangerously unstable grid and burdened with high electricity costs heading into this winter. Disruptions from this energy crisis have been felt by households and many industries that rely on affordable power...
Sanford Goldberg: The real moral reckoning in Ghislaine Maxwell case
In the past few years, several high-profile cases of sexual abuse in the U.S. — Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and R. Kelly — have prompted serious soul-searching. How could abuses like these have persisted for so long, given the number of people who had to have known what...
Mark Hendrickson: When humans don’t procreate
Two years ago, I wrote about the pending global population implosion. Demographers predict that 90 countries will lose population between now and the year 2100. Shrinking populations have portentous implications, including major shifts in geopolitical power and the possible financial collapse of welfare states. The United States’ population is part...
Bill Press: Throw the book at Mark Meadows
Now that the House has voted to hold former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt for refusing to appear before the Jan. 6 Select Committee, Washington insiders are gripped in a typical, inside-the-Beltway dilemma: Whether or not the Justice Department should file criminal charges against him. After...
Sam DeMarco: Pittsburgh Public Schools tax increase was not necessary
Once again, Pittsburgh’s pandemic-strapped taxpayers are being asked to pony up more of their household incomes to close a purported $5.3 million shortfall, even as the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board sits on more than $145 million in surplus dollars tucked away in a “reserve” fund. That’s right. Pittsburgh Public Schools...
Lynn Schmidt: Liz Cheney stands firmly in defending democracy
Imagine being a leader exiled to an island with only one other person. Now imagine that instead of shrinking under the wound of political isolation, you become stronger. Courage somehow thrives in this seclusion. Truth, honor and integrity build the foundation of a lighthouse that becomes a beacon of leadership....
Robert Koehler: Poisoning ourselves with war
War spews hell in all directions. Just ask the guys at Talon Anvil, a secret U.S. “strike cell” recently exposed by the New York Times as a unit with a reputation for ignoring the rules of engagement and killing lots and lots of civilians with drone strikes as it plays...
Terry Wilcox: AARP’s drug pricing conflict of interest
AARP is the nation’s biggest and most influential advocacy group for seniors. It has about 38 million members — more than 11% of the U.S. population. From lobbying for better conditions in nursing homes to getting travel discounts for members, the organization has done much to help retired people over...
Peter Morici: Fixing Biden’s China policy
China’s global ambitions pose an existential threat to Western democracy, prosperity and security, but the Biden administration, preoccupied with domestic economic renewal and social justice, has not articulated a comprehensive policy. Cooperation on climate change could materialize, but the consequences for economic competition — fundamentally the trade and investment relationship...
Stephen Carter: What to expect from the world in 2022
December’s end is when we reflect on what we hope to improve in the year to come … and also the time for my annual predictions of news headlines for the next 12 months. Usually I begin by evaluating last year’s predictions, but this year only one bears mention: For...
Nathan Benefield: Gerrymandering won’t save unpopular candidates
With state and congressional redistricting underway in Harrisburg, many politicians have blamed “partisan gerrymandering” for past election losses. But this is another instance when the conventional wisdom gets it wrong. Redistricting-watchers fearing an electoral apocalypse and those hoping for a clear path to victory need a healthy dose of reality....


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