Editorials category, Page 17
Editorial: Court officers are not above the law or discipline
Law enforcement officers have been in the spotlight often in recent years for being on the wrong side of the handcuffs. Sheriffs, deputies, police chiefs, officers, state troopers and more have been arrested and charged, and followed the path through the justice system as defendants. Some have pleaded guilty or...
Laurels & lances: Politics & taking chances
Laurel: To getting through it. The election is over, and Pennsylvania made it through. After months of candidates and journalists all but parachuting into the area to lobby for votes or cover the campaigning, it’s done. With the exception of a few races coming down to the wire with counting...
Editorial: Pennsylvania still has lessons in wake of election
Everyone knew Pennsylvania would be a key player in the 2024 presidential election. What was less certain was the state being a microcosm of the election as it played out across the country. On Tuesday, as ballots were counted, the areas that voted for the Democratic and Republican candidates were...
Editorial: Was dog attack a pit bull problem or a pet owner one?
People expect a few scares on Halloween. Maybe there’s a guy in a hockey mask with a rubber knife lumbering down the street. Maybe an animatronic zombie lunges off the neighbor’s porch. Maybe there’s a spooky haunted house set up in the garage at the end of the block. But...
Editorial: It’s your turn to change the world
OK. That’s it. The 2024 election cycle might be the longest and the shortest ever. In some ways, it feels like it’s been going on since Donald Trump announced his Republican candidacy in 2015. In some sense, it might be dated to 2021, when the former president suggested he would...
Editorial: McDonald’s fickle McFlurry machines are now more fixable. That’s more significant than you might think
With an E. coli scare linked to some of its Quarter Pounders, likely the slivered onions thereupon, McDonald’s and its franchisees have had a rough go of late, as reflected in its share price gyrations. But this week brought some good news for the Chicago- based fast-food giant. The notoriously...
Editorial: The final pitches from the candidates
For months, Pennsylvania has been the focus of much of the American political world. The campaign of former President Donald Trump has been looking to the Republican stretches in rural areas and trying to carve off the edges of Democratic strongholds as he did in 2016. President Joe Biden spent...
Editorial: Halloween parade was no place for jump-scare of political retribution
Halloween is a blend of surprises and traditions. It’s a child-centric holiday that encourages time spent as a family. At the same time, it’s a celebration of the dark and scary, with plenty of blood and gore not generally fit for a G-rated crowd. It is both tricks and treats....
Laurels & lances: Visits & vigils
Laurel: To prioritizing tourism. Monroeville made a bold move this year, purchasing the Monroeville Convention Center after announcements were made that the building would be sold to become a Hobby Lobby. Now the future of that move is being cemented with a lease to Visit Monroeville, the tourism organization formed...
Editorial: Another mismanagement scandal in Pittsburgh is no surprise
It seems like no one knows exactly what is going on in Pittsburgh city government. There was the issue over the summer of purchasing cards being used improperly to pay a vendor formerly on the city payroll. Those credit cards are meant for things such as a subscription or picking...
Editorial: Making voting possible for domestic violence victims is empowering
Domestic violence wraps its tendrils around parts of life that most people don’t consider unless they have been touched by it. There are things like doctor appointments. How can you go for a routine visit if you might have to explain bruises? What about work? It can be hard to...
Editorial: High risk breast cancer MRIs are smart and cost-effective
Sometimes people want things from the government that sound great but just aren’t cost effective. It would be fantastic if utilities came without a bill, for instance. Long hot showers without worrying about paying for either the water or the heat? Who wouldn’t like that? But services come with a...
Editorial: Time to pass a federal shield law
Forty-nine states have enacted some version of a “shield law,” preventing the government from forcing reporters to reveal their notes or sources. It’s well past time that the folks inside the Beltway followed suit. Shield law protections give life to the First Amendment. If the government can compel reporters, editors...
Editorial: Are calls to remove district judge appropriate?
In a courtroom, there are rules about what can be introduced and when and how. For example, you can’t use evidence of a prior bad act as proof that someone did a new and different crime. You also can’t prosecute someone for a crime committed before a law was passed....
Editorial: Scirotto chose NCAA over Pittsburgh. That’s why he shouldn’t have taken the job in the first place
Pittsburgh police Chief Larry Scirotto is resigning his position effective Nov. 1. He isn’t doing it because of problems within the department. He isn’t doing it because of rampant crime that can’t be controlled by the officers under his leadership. He’s doing it because he would rather referee basketball games....
Laurels & lances: Pups & pensions
Laurel: To a new home. Ikon the police dog has taken a roundabout road to finding a forever home. The pup was gifted to Tarentum police by country singer Brian Kelley. It was a surprise donation when the former Florida Georgia Line frontman was playing a benefit concert hosted by...
Editorial: The dying revenue stream of a neglected mall
A mall is not easy money. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, an average mall might be 400,000 to 800,000 square feet — and that’s just the storefronts available for lease. It doesn’t include the common spaces that connect them and often serve as drivers for people to...
Editorial: Panther Hollow Bridge might be progress, but bridge maintenance needs to be proactive
On Saturday, the 640-foot-long Panther Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood was closed unexpectedly. The reason given then was “an abundance of caution.” On Monday, the need for that caution was clarified: Steel trusses were found to be corroded. Inspectors said they could weaken areas of the bridge. They...
Editorial: Is polling just political palm reading?
In 1861, Pennsylvania took steps to protect its citizens from potential fraud. It outlawed fortune telling. Whether you were prognosticating with tarot cards or crystal balls or any of the popular means of the day, charging people money to tell them the future was deemed illegal. Break the law, and...
Editorial: Line of fire — Judicial havoc is no way to run gun policy
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that had struck down a Pennsylvania law barring people under 21 from carrying firearms openly during declared states of emergency. It’s hard to really celebrate this as a victory given how basic common sense it is — that judges...
Editorial: Why does an endorsement matter?
People like to be reassured about their choices. It doesn’t matter what those choices might be. We read reviews of movies or TV shows because we want someone to tell us we aren’t wasting our time. If a friend says this is a good book, maybe it’s worth investing a...
Editorial: Election integrity and voter intimidation can’t coexist
Election integrity is important. We have to be able to trust that the votes cast in an election represent the will of the people. That means they need to be the votes that belong to a specific area. While some circles of the internet and some political leaders point to...
Editorial: Arnold Palmer Regional Airport and the truth about rumors
Rumors can be hilarious. They are what sell supermarket tabloids. They make gossiping with friends entertaining. They are the little whispered snips that make a great story. The problem is that rumors are not always accurate. And sometimes, by the time that’s been figured out, the rumors have run too...
Editorial: Right to remember ‘close-knit town’ destroyed by flood
When more than 200 ex-residents of Robindale reunited 40 years after the town was destroyed by the 1977 flood, the love they still had for their former home was obvious. They shared memories of playing games in the streets, spending summer days at the baseball field, crossing a suspension bridge...
Editorial: Turn on the heat or put on the sweater? For some, it’s not a question
Are you turning on the heat yet? It’s a touchy topic in some households as October settles into its annual indecision. Fourteen days in, the month has had highs in the 80s and lows in the 30s. It creates the seasonal wardrobe quandary. What is warm enough to wear at...
