Opinion category, Page 277
Letter to the editor: Shame on ATI for RYFO lockout
Not a day passes that we don’t hear of another shooting, drive-by, destruction of property and bullying perpetrated by our youth. The state of our neighborhoods is abysmal. And, in the darkness, we have a bright light, organizations like RYFO (Rams Youth Football Organization). They have been a valued part...
Letter to the editor: Be aware of warning signs of strokes
May is Stroke Awareness Month, and I want to take this opportunity to urge everyone to learn more about this serious health issue. Every year, strokes affect millions of people around the world, causing long-term disability, loss of independence and even death. The good news is that most strokes can...
Letter to the editor: Admiring Fetterman’s courage
Sen. John Fetterman has been under the microscope since early in his candidacy. Sure, go ahead and make fun of his speech and auditory difficulties and his awkwardness fitting in among a bunch of seasoned career politicians. But you can’t knock him or mock him for the courage he showed...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Gainey should be at the head of the table
In a series of reports on KDKA-TV News, investigative reporter Andy Sheehan has asked city officials this question: Who is running the City of Pittsburgh? The elected mayor or officials of SEIU Healthcare, the union that is credited by many with getting him elected, spending $350,000 to support his campaign?...
Scott Bricker: Pittsburgh should commit to achieving zero traffic deaths by 2035
We are less than five months into 2023, and Pittsburghers have already suffered numerous pedestrian fatalities, from the West End to Uptown to Squirrel Hill. At this rate, 2023 is on track to be the deadliest year for people walking in recent memory. These deaths and injuries are preventable, and...
Letter to the editor: Saving the Republican Party
Calling all the moderates in the Republican Party — if there is to be any chance of saving the party, you must vote the extremists out. No more election deniers, no more ridiculous culture wars (does anyone really care if the green M&M isn’t sexy anymore?), no more assault on...
Sounding off: Fox, opioids, national debt, Biden, gun laws, book bans, GOP
Another snake will surface at Fox Rather than Fox hosts having to come clean live on air and tell the Big-Lie-believing faithful that they were repeatedly lied to by them, Rupert Murdoch has paid a $787 million (ouch!) settlement in the defamation case brought by Dominion. I’m reminded of that...
Letter to the editor: Zellers is a lifesaver
I met Leslie Uncapher Zellers about 25 years ago. I was in an abusive relationship for a few years. I wasn’t safe anywhere. My work, my home weren’t safe places. When we finally split up for good with the help of a PFA, I still had problems. I had to...
Editorial: Pennsylvania elections need uniformity
Westmoreland County voters, you have been warned. On Thursday, the county election board set its rules in stone for the May 16 primary. It was spelled out unequivocally: Screw something up on your mail-in ballot, and it will not be counted. Specifically, ballots must be dated and dated correctly. That...
Letter to the editor: Hempfield’s Reese an excellent leader
I am writing in response to a recent political mailer that is from the desk of current Hempfield Township supervisor and former Chairman Douglas Weimer, implying that I and many others have left their township positions as a result of current Chairman George Reese. In my 26 years as a...
Gary Franks: For the banking industry, let’s pray it is not deja vu all over again
How can billions of dollars be lost, and nobody can figure out who got the money or where it all went? Maybe fraud is involved somewhere? In the last banking crisis in 2008 — which led to a crippling recession in America and around the world — a deep-dive investigation...
S.E. Cupp: Tucker’s ‘shocking’ text message does not shock
In the minutes, hours and days after the shock of Tucker Carlson’s firing from Fox News settled in, the immediate question became: Why? And more pointedly, why now? In some ways, these were ridiculous if not rhetorical questions — there were countless good reasons to fire Carlson, from his myriad...
Howard M. Rieger: Allegheny County executive must clean up our air
On May 16, Pittsburghers will go to the polls to elect a new Allegheny County executive. What’s at stake in this election is literally a matter of life and death. The American Lung Association’s (ALA) State of the Air report issued April 18 documents that the Pittsburgh region is the...
Rev. Jesse Jackson: Who gets the gold and who gets the shaft?
Over the next few weeks, the manufactured crisis over the “debt ceiling” will reach its boiling point. But this is pure melodrama, badly overacted with the outcome already known. The real question is about our priorities — and about who gets the gold and who gets the shaft. On the...
Letter to the editor: Zellers will be a fair judge
“The most sacred of the duties of a government (is) to do equal and impartial justice to all its citizens,” Thomas Jefferson wrote. I don’t believe this has happened in the magisterial courtroom serving Allegheny Township, Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell, Vandergrift, East Vandergrift, Hyde Park, Oklahoma Borough and West Leechburg....
Letter to the editor: We need write-ins in Leechburg
According to the Armstrong County election website, there are three open borough council seats on the ballot for May 16 in Leechburg, with only one candidate each on the Republican and Democratic sides. The mayor’s position is also up for election, with two Democrats as candidates. It is imperative that...
Letter to the editor: Another snake will surface at Fox
Rather than Fox hosts having to come clean live on air and tell the Big-Lie-believing faithful that they were repeatedly lied to by them, Rupert Murdoch has paid a $787 million (ouch!) settlement in the defamation case brought by Dominion. I’m reminded of that old movie “A Face in the...
Lori Falce: Judicial reform is about accountability, not retribution
There is a difference between accountability and retribution. Accountability means you are subject to the consequences of your actions. You back into a car in the parking lot, you pay your deductible and probably see your insurance premium go up. You miss your credit card payment and have to pay...
Letter to the editor: Girardi best candidate for district judge
I was fortunate to clerk for a good magisterial district judge for 21 years prior to retiring in 2022. I also subbed in a court with a newly elected judge who was formerly a scientist. It was challenging because of his lack of experience and limited familiarity with the court...
Laurels & lances: Reaction and consequence
Laurel: To a quick response. For several weeks, we have had the unfortunate duty to chastise people for hoaxes. These involved reports of active shooters that were made up. They targeted Oakland Catholic and Central Catholic high schools in Pittsburgh, Laurel Highlands High School in Fayette County, Mt. Pleasant Area...
Letter to the editor: Fritz well qualified to be commissioner
The writer of the letter “We need qualified candidates in Westmoreland commissioner race” (March 28, TribLIVE) believes Patricia Fritz isn’t qualified to run for Westmoreland County commissioner. I disagree. Fritz was a supervisor for PennDOT for 23 years with responsibilities that included the smooth operation of the busy District 12-5...
Colin McNickle: Reduce costs before adding new mass-transit taxes
Proposed legislation now before the House Transportation Committee in Harrisburg would enable specific counties to enact new taxes, surtaxes and fees to subsidize mass transit and fund transportation infrastructure. But a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy says that as far as Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) is...
Letter to the editor: Speak out on another Penn-Trafford budget increase
As the Penn-Trafford School Board prepares to vote on the district budget in June, they are still unsure whether they can hold the line on it or if they will vote for a tax increase for the 10th year in a row. If you want your opinion to be considered,...
Letter to the editor: Zellers for district judge
Time for change in the Valley! Better options cannot be overlooked when opportunity arises. Leslie Uncapher Zellers is that better option for magisterial district judge. When she served the citizens of Westmoreland County as a prosecuting attorney with the district attorney’s office, we prosecuted many cases together. I came to...
Editorial: World Press Freedom Day is a reminder of vital role
May 3 doesn’t really seem like a holiday for most people. It’s after Easter and before Memorial Day. It falls in that middle ground of spring days that just run into one another. But May 3 is a holiday that flies under the radar, although it speaks to something that...
