Opinion category, Page 25
Bryan L. Kline: County prison’s disregard for religious freedom violates Pa. law
The treatment of inmate Kort Noel Eckman at Westmoreland County Prison is a troubling example of the systematic failure to respect religious freedoms in our correctional system. Eckman, awaiting trial on serious charges including attempted homicide, requested to wear a yarmulke in court and receive kosher meals aligned with his...
Letter to the editor: Home-care worker shortage at crisis level
As the owner of a home care agency for almost 25 years, I’ve operated with the reality that the inadequate Medicaid reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania make it incredibly challenging to compete for a very limited pool of qualified workers. That challenge has now reached the level of impossible. States set...
Letter to the editor: AI robbing us of our future?
Can’t say why, I’m naturally vulgar, but the Ten Commandments remind me of the Dewey Decimal system. The connection may be in processes of listing and labeling. In one case, sin, and the other, books at the library. Among the Big Ten, the one that’s up my craw now is...
Editorial: Former Greensburg cops squandered pensions with drug crimes
A pension is different from a retirement fund. With a 401(k) or an individual retirement account (IRA), there is a simple mathematical transaction. It may have a few more strings than a checking or savings account, but the basic elements remain the same. An account is opened. Deposits are made....
Letter to the editor: Westmoreland should allow ballot curing
Elections should ensure that every eligible voter’s voice is heard. But too many ballots are rejected over small, fixable mistakes like a missing date or signature. Ballot curing — allowing voters to correct these mistakes — protects voters from being silenced by paperwork. Across Pennsylvania, 36 counties let voters cure...
Robin Abcarian: Kirk’s killing undermines basis of our democracy
The killing of Charlie Kirk is a national tragedy. It is hard to overestimate the enormity of what happened Wednesday on the campus of Utah Valley University, where a civil debate about politics taking place under sunny skies turned into a bloody horror show with what are certain to be...
Ryan Spak: FDA must do better for smokers trying to quit
I’m a businessman and a real estate developer, so I’m no stranger to overcoming obstacles. But one of my biggest achievements has nothing to do with the business world — it was quitting smoking. I’m confident that anyone who’s done it will agree. It’s a habit that’s hard to leave...
Letter to the editor: Words matter in today’s political atmosphere
Ever since President Trump was elected by a majority of votes cast and a majority of Electoral College votes, I have seen letters to the editor about him grow more hateful. Words such as Nazi and dictator are constantly used. These writers should educate themselves about Nazis and dictators before...
Letter to the editor: The devil is coming for the cowards
The devil is coming for the cowards. The cowardly lack of action from Russian Christian leaders regarding Putin’s ongoing destruction of Ukraine discredits anyone who claims to be a Christian. The cowardly lack of action from American Christian leaders regarding President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ongoing genocide in Gaza...
Editorial: Penn State president’s pay raise makes financial trouble hard to swallow
Penn State is having money trouble. Just ask. The administration will tell you. “The challenges we face — declining enrollments, demographic shifts and financial pressures — are not unique to Penn State, but they require us to make difficult choices,” President Neeli Bendapudi wrote in a February message. That was...
Letter to the editor: Parking is not the problem on Penn Township’s Rowe Road
Anyone who read the article “Penn Township examines parking along Rowe Road following house fire on nearby street” (Aug. 15, TribLive) was led to believe that first responders were held up due to parking on the street, and because of this the life of a young girl was put in...
Megan McDonough: HB 502 is a betrayal of local communities
When Pennsylvanians elect state legislators, we expect them to represent the will of their communities — not that of corporate polluters or political power brokers in Harrisburg. That’s why House Bill 502 is not just bad policy, it’s a betrayal. For Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, the bill’s prime sponsor,...
Austen Campbell: Tired of the 2-party gridlock? Independents offer a way out
Something feels wrong. American democracy is supposed to be the beacon of hope that leads the free world. But for far too many, it feels like our votes do not elect leaders who truly represent what is best for our families and our communities. Affordability of basic necessities is out...
Mark Z. Barabak: ‘I think it was recklessness’ — Harris criticizes Biden’s late exit from 2024 campaign
When Kamala Harris left the White House, she was trailed by three big questions. She’s now answered two of them. First off, the former vice president will not be running for California governor in 2026. After months of will-or-won’t-she speculation, the Democrat took a pass on a race that was...
Letter to the editor: Making good use of New Kensington’s riverfront
I feel it is more important now than ever to proceed with utilizing our riverfront in New Kensington. Our entire riverfront is zoned I-2, “heavy industrial.” Other communities in our region have taken advantage of their riverfronts. Oakmont is a good example, where the old Edgewater Steel Plant closed in...
Letter to the editor: Extinguishing the monarchs
They came. Migrants from Mexico, in their orange and black. Making their way through Texas and Louisiana, stopping in Florida and traveling up the East Coast, as far as Canada. The monarch butterfly, one of nature’s many miracles. They came. In the dark of night, wearing protective gear. Broadcast spraying...
Editorial: RFK Jr.’s vision for the CDC should alarm Congress
Susan Monarez’s 28-day tenure as the nation’s top public health official was doomed from the start. Her boss, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., wanted her to do two things: champion his dubious anti-vaccine agenda and uphold “gold-standard science” at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recognizing the conflict, Monarez chose...
Letter to the editor: Kirk not responsible for his death
The headline “Kirk’s campus event polarizing” on page A7 of Thursday’s print edition is a bit perplexing as a continuation of the front-page story by the Associated Press. Nowhere does the article quote Utah Valley University students at the event expressing such an opinion. Much of the mainstream media chimes...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 15
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 15....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Sept. 15
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Sept. 15...
Letter to the editor: Long past time for a gun violence solution
Senseless, hate-filled violence occurs daily from people on both sides. The two parties need to find common ground with policy, particularly gun reform. Gun reform is not gun control. It is a common ground. Children are dying, as are political podcasters who spewed hate. I do not applaud the senseless...
Letter to the editor: Kirk was far from hateful
And so another act of political violence has taken a life; and a wife and two small children are left without a husband and father. That scenario alone, without delving into the whos, whats and whys, should be enough to make normal people feel somber and sad for our country...
Editorial: State budget crisis is forcing Westmoreland Co.’s hand
Westmoreland County Commissioners are putting the brakes on spending. That makes sense. The county is not exactly swimming in cash. In December 2023, commissioners pivoted toward a last-minute tax increase to address shortfalls. Both the Republican majority and Democratic minority on the board agreed the county was in financial difficulty...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s response to Kirk’s death hypocritical
In his response to the murder of Charlie Kirk, President Trump said, “It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most...
Letter to the editor: Kirk’s assassination a bellwether event
We live in confusing times, with Charlie Kirk’s political assassination serving as a bellwether event. Is there truth? Is there absolute truth? Where does truth emanate from? Is the United States a Judeo-Christian enterprise guided by natural law? If you enter a debate, one deconstructs your opponent’s argument, exposing the...
