Opinion category, Page 225
Letter to the editor: Act justly, for children’s sake
This pediatrician knows that an Israeli child is as innocent as a Palestinian child, and conversely a Palestinian child is as innocent as an Israeli child. I also unequivocally condemn the heinous murder by Hamas of over a thousand Israeli civilians, including young children. Terrorism against any one group is...
Letter to the editor: Minimum wage conundrum
I write this to enrich the thinking about minimum wages as addressed in the recent letter “Westmoreland needs higher wages to grow population” (Oct. 22, TribLIVE). I’m a former employer (retired now), and have an economics degree. The economic argument for not having a minimum wage is, I believe, irrefutable....
Editorial: Should Pennsylvania require schools to have armed security?
Whether we are talking about individual incidents or the attacks with high casualty numbers like those in Uvalde, Texas, or Newtown, Conn., everyone agrees that children should be safe at school. They just don’t agree on how to make that happen. Some want more gun control. Some want more mental...
Letter to the editor: Be an informed voter, use VOTE411.org
The League of Women Voters of Westmoreland County (LWVWC) wants voters to be informed and make their voices heard in the upcoming general election. The election has more than 300 candidates in 150 local races and will determine the people directly responsible for the services and finances of our local...
Letter to the editor: There are only losers in war
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas attack on Israel: What is to be accomplished? History has shown us time and again that the answer is nothing. There will only be losers. The lost human lives will never be recovered. The destruction of property will take generations to replace. The...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Public servants serve the public
Sometimes a plastic bag is more than just a plastic bag. If you were around during the administration of Pittsburgh Mayor Sophie Masloff, the news that those small plastic grocery bags are now banned in the city reminds you of a time when simple solutions reigned over needlessly complex solutions...
Jim Warren: Misinformation about the Israeli-Hamas war is rampant. Here’s how to fight it
The fog of the Israeli-Hamas war is made more intimidating by the thick mist of misinformation. What are smart news consumers, and impressionable students in classrooms nationwide, supposed to do as rampant falsehoods spread? NewsGuard, the anti-misinformation company I work for, is toiling 24/7 with a tsunami of wrongheaded claims...
Michael Peregrine: Richard Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre has particular relevance for our political climate
The Saturday Night Massacre refers to the extraordinary clash between the commitment to democratic principles and the outer limits of presidential power that created the most memorable constitutional crisis of the Watergate era. And it carries exceptional relevance for today’s political climate. The defining moment of the “massacre” was the...
Rebecca Saltzman: Americans fall victim to Jew Derangement Syndrome
There’s just something about the Jews. (I’m Jewish, so I can say that.) For thousands of years, from the Romans to the Nazis to Kanye West, we have possessed that je ne sais quois that drives people mad. To paraphrase Regina George, “Why are you so obsessed with us?” In...
Letter to the editor: Keep Peck Yakopec as district judge
Hopefully, this letter ends all of the lies, half-truths and misleading information that has been circulated about District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec. Most of us know she has been our judge in the Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell, Allegheny Township, Vandergrift, etc., area for the past 29 years. Peck Yakopec has...
Letter to the editor: Girardi has integrity needed for district judge
In judicial races, it’s common to hear buzzwords like “fair,” “neutral” or “impartial.” While a candidate may use these words, too often the same candidate will take campaign funds from special interest groups or from those with commercial interests in district court, pay to receive political endorsements or seek the...
Editorial: Is a coed Kiski School really that awful?
In fall 2024, The Kiski School will be welcoming girls. But will it really? The school administration announced the move this month, with Head of School Christopher Brueningsen saying “maintaining enrollment has been challenging.” It’s not just a Kiski problem. It’s an issue in single-sex boarding schools in general, which...
Letter to the editor: Klingensmith’s experience makes him best pick for judge
In response to the letter “Petrush qualified to be judge” (Oct. 18, TribLIVE): I agree that being qualified matters greatly for a magisterial district judge. The writer mentioned not seeing Judith Petrush’s opponent, Robert Klingensmith, in the courts in Greensburg. If he had looked beyond the courts in Greensburg, he’d...
Letter to the editor: Petrush has professionalism needed to be judge
Nearly 25 years ago, I crossed party lines to vote for Charley Conway as magisterial district judge in District Court 10-3-02 because his character, community involvement, and practice and knowledge of the law made him the best candidate. Our community now has the responsibility to choose a new district judge...
S.E. Cupp: The far left has a serious antisemitism problem
The headlines paint a troubling picture. “Liberals Need a Reckoning With Antisemitism.” “How the Democrats betrayed the Jews.” “The Left Faces a Reckoning as Israel Divides Democrats.” The conflict between Israel and Hamas, a terrorist group that barbarically murdered 1,400 innocent civilians in a surprise and coordinated attack on Israel,...
Nick Hayes: College students, be smart on Halloween
Many universities and college campuses maintain unique, decades-long Halloween traditions. While most emphasize inclusion, engagement and creativity, others can promote excessive partying, heavy drinking and drug use. As communities gear up for the holiday season, it’s a good time to begin knowing the risks associated with heavy drinking and recreational...
Letter to the editor: Why is UPMC not changing colors on its sign?
The UPMC sign at the top of the U.S. Steel Tower in downtown Pittsburgh does not seem to be participating in the colors of the evening skylights with the other buildings in downtown Pittsburgh. Past colors of the UPMC sign have been red, white and blue, and pink, but the...
Letter to the editor: Girardi well qualified to be judge
Twenty-one years of experience as a district court clerk and working for an experienced judge has provided me with insight that a judge must be fair, impartial, unbiased and uncompromised by endorsements that may lead to favoritism. There are no negotiations on the bench. The judge is required to make...
Lori Falce: Lighting candles for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
I am known among my friends for my common response to times of pain and trouble. I will cry with them. I will hold their hands and hug them close. But, more than anything, as my friends are scattered across the map, I light candles. As the product of a...
Laurels & lances: Cold cases and bag bans
Laurel: To pursuit of truth. Sometimes what you need to find the answer is a new pair of eyes. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is putting some cold cases in front of at least 23 pairs of eyes. On Tuesday, Ziccarelli announced the impaneling of an investigative grand jury,...
Letter to the editor: Jail needs new model of leadership
Based upon two Allegheny County Jail job satisfaction surveys of correctional officers and health care staff, Warden Orlando Harper, who retired in September, and Dr. Ashley Brinkman, ACJ’s health services administrator who resigned earlier this month, both used the position leadership model, which basically is, “I am in charge; you...
Paul Kengor: What Gaza could be
Be prepared for bloody scenes to come in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli forces ready for a land invasion and as Hamas readies to mercilessly exploit hostages. It will be ugly. A tragedy of Hamas’ rule of the Gaza Strip isn’t merely what you’ve seen on TV this October. Since...
Colin McNickle: Weak jobs & PIT numbers go hand in hand
Despite glowing reports touting increased international passenger counts (even though they remain a shadow of past performance), overall passenger numbers at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) remain weak. And weak local jobs numbers appear to be playing a role in that deficit, new research from the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy...
Letter to the editor: Peck Yakopec a judge for the people
I am sharing my story because I want people to know what a good judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec is. My daughter had several traffic tickets in high school. She was running with the wrong crowd, and I wanted her to better herself by joining the Army. She couldn’t enlist until...
Letter to the editor: Zellers best pick for judge
Voters for magisterial district judge in District 10-1-04 have a simple decision to make. A vote for Leslie Uncapher Zellers is a vote for fairness, community service and family. Tough on crime, but fair and understanding, she’s experienced courtrooms many ways, most importantly, court-appointed to protect kids. As assistant district...
