Opinion category, Page 211
Letter to the editor: Advocating for Kiski Valley
It appears that, for many years, industry has bypassed the Kiski Valley area. About a year ago, I heard about steel manufacturing via new arc furnaces coming to the Little Rock, Ark., area, providing hundreds of new jobs. There seems to be no advocates for our area. The Kiski Valley...
Letter to the editor: Misplaced priorities on fentanyl, school articles
I read two stories recently in the Jan. 14 Tribune-Review. One was on the front page, and the other was buried on page B7. Vastly different stories that made me wonder about their placement in the paper. The first story was the front-page “Fentanyl’s Fearsome Toll.” Not front-page material, quite...
Editorial: Data is important in Human Services, but so is humanity
Westmoreland County is taking steps to serve people better, and it is doing it by the numbers. The county’s Human Services Department amasses a lot of data from its daily operations. That’s to be expected with the amount of people who pass through its programs. Human Services is an umbrella...
Letter to the editor: Consider candidates’ behavior when voting
I am blessed to be the father of three adult women. We used a logic tool to help us judge our speech. We used the letters T, K and N. Three questions: Is what I am about to say True, is it Kind, and is it Necessary? As a society...
Charles R. Hunt: Why New Hampshire and Iowa don’t make sense as opening rounds of presidential campaigns
Iowa and New Hampshire have long been the first states to hold presidential contests in election years. But should they go first? As a political scientist who studies Congress and elections, I know this largely unquestioned influence of the two states raises serious concerns around fairness, diversity and political representation....
Luke Bernstein: Private companies help keep Pa.’s water safe
Pennsylvania faces a pivotal moment in securing clean, safe and reliable drinking water and wastewater services. Communities across our commonwealth contain pipes that have far outlived their normal service life. Many still contain lead, a known hazard, especially for children. And while many local governments have done a fine job...
Guy Ciarrocchi: Have suburban Pa. voters finally had enough?
Then they came for William Penn. The woke culture that already has targeted George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln has more recently come after William Penn, founder of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which he established to foster religious tolerance. Before their plan was derailed by a public outcry, cancel-culture...
Letter to the editor: County tax hike 1 more slap in the face
Wow! A 32.5% property tax hike passed on to Westmoreland County residents a week after county commissioners gave themselves and other elected officials raises. Not a good look. Three days before Christmas, no less. And speaking of elected officials, I bet the public would be interested to know that some...
Letter to the editor: Trump was derelict in his duties regarding Jan. 6
Dereliction of duty is a specific offense and applies to all branches of the military. A service member who is derelict has willfully refused to perform his duties (or follow a given order) or has incapacitated himself in such a way that he cannot perform his duties. Any person who...
Editorial: Another game of chicken as House averts shutdown, for now
With two funding bills passed just under the wire, the House under Speaker Mike Johnson has ensured that the federal government won’t run out of operating funds until … March 1 and March 8, depending on the agency. His right flank, predictably, was not happy. We suppose it’s better than...
Letter to the editor: Why Trump’s ‘our guy’
Unfortunately, we find the letter “Trump’s your guy” (Jan. 15, TribLIVE) riddled with — insert shocked face — misconstrued “facts” and in true leftist form, completely biased. A few examples and some points of our own. President Trump never had a peaceful transfer of power and stood by letting the...
Tom Purcell: Regulating fun is a slippery slope
The city of Toronto is in the news for outlawing sled and toboggan riding on 45 of its hillsides. According to the Toronto Star, the ban has sparked a robust debate about how far government should go to protect people from themselves while they’re having fun. To be sure, tragic...
Matthew Brouillette: Shapiro’s duck-and-dodge 1st year
In the 2004 sports comedy, “Dodgeball,” we learned the five Ds of that sport: “Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and … dodge.” In his first year in office, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has perfected these five Ds. Campaigning for governor in 2022, Shapiro said that he’d take on big fights and...
Lee Ann Rawlins Williams: Students do better and schools are more stable when teachers get mental health support
When it comes to mental health at school, typically the focus is on helping students, especially as they emerge from the pandemic with heightened levels of anxiety, stress and emotional need. But as school officials seek to put resources toward student well-being, another school population is possibly being overlooked: teachers....
Letter to the editor: Trump’s call for unity rings hollow
After his win in the Iowa Republican caucuses, Donald Trump said with a straight face that it is now time for our people to come together. Does the call for unity include those who oppose him, whom he has characterized as “vermin”; the immigrants who he says are “poisoning the...
Letter to the editor: Cyber charter schools best option for some
As a parent who’s experienced the life-changing impact of sending my children to a cyber charter school, I applaud the efforts during National School Choice Week, Jan. 21-27. I encourage parents to learn about the different types of educational options open to you. Then look closely at your children, consider...
Editorial: Innovative programs are best pitch for universities
There are just under 6,000 postsecondary schools in the United States. Almost 4,000 are degree-granting institutions — the kind of school you would pick if you want to leave with an associate degree in two years or a bachelor’s degree in four. The others are where you might choose for...
Letter to the editor: Public water resources should not benefit private industry
In the article “Lack of snow, where rainfall ends up factors in declining Beaver Run reservoir levels” (Jan. 5, TribLive), Renatta Signorini wrote about the dire situation at the reservoir. The water level is so low that the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County ordered corporations to stop withdrawing water for...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 22
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 22....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 22
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 22....
Letter to the editor: St. Lad’s a sad example of ignoring value of history
Recent actions regarding St. Ladislaus Church in Natrona should be of concern to all citizens (“Time capsule unearthed at St. Ladislaus Church reveals 120-year-old treasures,” Jan. 12, TribLive). One need only to travel through Europe to discover the historical and emotional value of old churches. Some say they are not...
Letter to the editor: We all deserve economic justice
I could not agree more with the op-ed “Gilded age for college football” (Dec. 30, TribLive). Coaches are making 10 times what they made in the 1980s, adjusted for inflation, around 540 times what teaching graduate assistants make and over 400 times what adjunct professors make. This extreme income inequality...
Editorial: Tearing down the old Tree of Life is a chance to rebuild memories
The building that stood at the corner of Wilkins and Shady avenues in Squirrel Hill was part of countless beautiful memories over 66 years. While the history of Jewish worship in Pittsburgh begins its story in the 19th century, it was in the wake of World War II that a...
Letter to the editor: Continue the fight for Alzheimer’s funding and research
My sister was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in her late 40s. At 55, no longer able to provide round-the-clock support, we placed her in a care facility, where, on her good days, she feels one step closer to death; she is only 56. There are few affordable facilities that cater...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: ‘Is this a good idea?’ the first question to ask
“Is this a good idea?” Many questions are important, but if you are in a political or government position and your decisions affect the lives of others, it is exceptionally important. When Pittsburgh City Council members were sworn in this month, newly elected 34-year-old Bob Charland used his remarks to...
