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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Sheldon Jacobson: NHL teams exercising power of choice on vaccinations
The National Hockey League will open its season Oct. 12. As of Oct. 1, just 12 NHL players were reported to not be fully vaccinated, though several are reported to be in line to have their second dose by opening night. This means that no less than 20 teams are...
Charlie Melancon: Congress should pause before rushing to spend $3.5 trillion
Underway in Washington is a debate surrounding Congress’ $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. The bill removes important industry tax deductions and establishes a new natural gas tax, essentially making it punitive to produce resources here at home. With rapid decarbonization goals driving the Biden administration’s agenda, some policymakers overlook the reality...
Sen. Mike Regan: The right way to legalize adult-use marijuana
As a Republican senator who spent more than two decades in law enforcement, it may come as a surprise to some people that I have circulated a co-sponsorship memo outlining my intent to introduce legislation legalizing adult-use marijuana in Pennsylvania. For decades, marijuana has been used by adult residents in...
David Ayers: Doomed to marry beneath them? Marriage and the gender gap in college
The Wall Street Journal recently published a powerful article on the large and growing gap between the numbers of men and women enrolled in American colleges and universities. Enrollments have declined steeply in recent years, but they have declined much more among males than females. Only 40% of current college...
Paul Petrick: Dick Tracy’s 90-year legacy
The New York Times recently greeted readers with the news that the FBI’s annual Crime in the United States survey shows that murder and nonnegligent manslaughter increased by nearly 30% in 2020, by far the largest increase on record. Times readers needing an escape from the grim reality of the...
Richard Kocur: Corporate America’s ‘social justice scam’
Coca-Cola, Google, Delta Airlines, Blackrock, Unilever and Facebook. On its face, this list may sound like a great investment portfolio. Instead, as shown in a new book by former biotech CEO Vivek Ramaswamy, these companies serve as the poster children of woke capitalism. Ramaswamy, author of “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate...
Dana Siler and Mark Reynolds: Price on carbon must be part of this year’s climate legislation
In early September, news broke that the Senate may include a transformative climate policy in the budget reconciliation package. Specifically, the Senate is considering “a potential tax on the carbon content of fossil fuels starting at $15 per ton,” paired with “rebates for low-income taxpayers and a border-adjustment tax aimed...
Zach Mottl: Biden administration must preserve crucial aluminum tariffs
U.S. manufacturers have faced a tough time during the covid pandemic. Supply chain disruptions and heavily subsidized import competition have combined to put America’s factories at a disadvantage. It’s critical for Congress and the president to ensure that domestic manufacturing regains its footing. In particular, that means continuing the steel...
Stephanie Catarino Wissman: Punitive natural gas tax risks U.S. energy leadership, economic recovery
As Congress continues to craft a sweeping budget reconciliation bill, provisions within the package threaten to undermine American energy leadership and could potentially lead to higher costs. And few places will feel the pinch like Pennsylvania, the second-largest producer of natural gas in the country, with nearly 500,000 jobs supported...
Joseph Wingert: Newspapers make Pennsylvania communities great places to live
National Newspaper Week presents an opportunity to reflect on the value of journalism: an American treasure essential to our way of life. Around the globe and nationwide, across the commonwealth, and in our own backyards, newspaper journalists provide the accurate, fair, timely and thorough reporting individuals and communities need to...
Gayle Manchin: Cooperation key to bettering life in Appalachia
This commentary concludes a series from the 13 states in the Appalachian Regional Commission. ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. Since 1965, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has collaborated with local and state partners...
Dan Rodricks: In Annapolis, an accounting of what they lost on the day of the Capital shooting
One by one, in the most profoundly personal ways, they told us what the depraved violence of June 28, 2018, had cost them. One by one, relatives of the Capital Gazette shooting victims described what the killer took from them: a brother who was “the curator of obscure family memories”...
Sheldon Jacobson: Covid-19 booster shot chaos
The covid-19 booster shot debate is now in full gear. Ongoing review, analysis and discussions involving the FDA, the CDC and the White House are bringing more chaos into a public health environment that needs calm and consistency, not confusion. As the delta surge continues in certain areas, many of...
Jonah Goldberg: Verbosity isn’t Biden’s problem — misreading the room is
If you’ve spent any time in Washington, you’ve heard stories about Joe Biden’s loquaciousness. Asked to give brief remarks, he’d famously meander for 30, 40 or more minutes about whatever came into his mind. But his verbosity is a symptom of his larger problem: a lack of situational awareness. After...
Dr. Joseph C. Maroon: Dr. Freddie Fu, visionary
In the fall of 1990, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll was informed that because of a concussion, his starting quarterback, Bubby Brister, should not play that week in an upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys. Since Bubby appeared perfectly normal, Coach Noll forcefully challenged the decision and announced he wanted...
Lynne Wright: New bill would help dialysis patients
While I’ve never been diagnosed with it myself, kidney disease has touched just about every facet of my life. At home and at work, I’ve experienced firsthand just how much it can change a person’s life. From the treatments and waiting for a transplant, to the overwhelming financial challenges that...
Adam Kovacevich: Europe’s tech discrimination could reverse Pittsburgh’s rebound
Ask anyone who lived in Pittsburgh in the ’80s, and they’ll tell you what failed economic policies looked like: shuttered plants, layoffs at Christmas and gutted neighborhoods. But just as Pittsburgh rebounds to become a leading tech hub, the next set of global economic policies are being debated right here...
Matt Smith: Pittsburgh region a national model for future-focused infrastructure
When President Biden and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg chose our region to make significant announcements about a robust federal infrastructure package, we knew they did so with confidence that the Pittsburgh region was poised to take the lead, and rightfully so. We have a long-awaited opportunity in infrastructure...
Jessica Tomko: Disability representation in the entertainment industry
Representation. We see this word used a lot these days. It has become associated with the fight for social justice, a quantifiable goal, a hashtag, a marketing effort. In short, it has become a buzzword. I am a 31-year-old disabled woman, and I can safely say that I didn’t even...
Filippo Menczer: Battling social media manipulation
On the surface this seems reasonable. If people like credible news, expert opinions and fun videos, these algorithms should identify such high-quality content. But the wisdom of the crowds makes a key assumption here: that recommending what is popular will help high-quality content “bubble up.” We tested this assumption by...
Cara Ciminillo: Congress must extend Child Tax Credit to support child care gains
Since the Child Tax Credit was significantly expanded as part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, working families in Pittsburgh and across Southwestern Pennsylvania started receiving up to $300 per child per month starting July 15. While the tax credit expansion came as a way to tackle the economic fallout...
Rep. Eric Nelson: Creating an election system for 2021, not patching one from 1937
What was America like in 1937? Slower-paced, to be sure. Less than half of us owned cars. Boarding a plane and traveling from New York to Los Angeles in a few hours was basically unheard of. Communication was slower too. There were no computers and no internet. On the rare...
Ciora Thomas: How Toomey can help protect, empower next generation
The other day, I stood on the steps by the river at Pittsburgh’s Point State Park getting my photograph taken, along with several other colleagues, to add to my nonprofit organization’s website. I founded SisTers PGH in 2013 for fellow TGNC (trans and gender-nonconforming) folks after years of struggling with...
Don Walko: We can create jobs without sacrificing environment
Both of my grandfathers were coal miners in Westmoreland County, and my mother and father worked in factories in South Greensburg. They were like most Appalachians: They were hard workers who took care of their families and loved their communities. Until I was in first grade, my family lived across...
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler: Gaming is good for Pa. economy
Covid-19 devastated Pennsylvania, shutting our state down for months. Our economy felt the impact, contracting by $32 billion. The road to recovery has not been easy, but thankfully, the Keystone State is back on the rebound. Part of this is due to obvious factors, like stores reopening and people returning...


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