Editorials category, Page 26
Editorial: Is lack of reassessment a county problem, or is it Pennsylvania’s fault?
Pittsburgh Public Schools needs more money. For school districts, there are few ways to do that. The one consistent revenue stream is property taxes, which means the easiest way to boost income is raising taxes. But why is that necessary? Yes, the cost of living goes up all the time,...
Laurels & lances: March Madness edition
Laurel: To sweet victory. In a city filled with colleges and sports teams, it can be hard to stand out. The Duquesne Dukes are doing just that. It started with the Atlantic 10 championship in New York City, as the Dukes took the crown. The 57-51 win over Virginia Commonwealth...
Editorial: Firefighters show up when it matters most
If you want to know why it is important to support emergency services, look to Jeannette. At 12:02 a.m. Wednesday, the first call came in about a fire with entrapment on Guy Street. Jack Mull was a neighbor who made the call after he stepped out for a cigarette and...
Editorial: Allegheny County can continue to sue Allegheny County
Allegheny County council is suing the county government over a five-year contract with Adelphoi to reopen and operate Shuman Juvenile Detention Center. Why? Because the contract was entered into by former county Executive Rich Fitzgerald. Under the county’s Home Rule Charter, the executive can do that for services the county...
Editorial: Westmoreland County needs to learn more lessons about pay
Westmoreland County has realized that employees are valuable. What was it that drove this home to the commissioners and the salary board — and other departments within the county government? Was it the critical shortages among essential areas like the jail and Westmoreland Manor nursing home? Was it the challenges...
Editorial: No waiting line for vets’ care
Plastics. Paint. Petroleum. Metals. Munitions. Medical waste. All of these and more were set aflame and disposed of in open-air pits used by the U.S. military in its Iraq and Afghanistan operations. Too often, members of the armed services served downwind of the airborne hazards created by this wartime waste...
Editorial: Westmoreland overdose deaths show changing numbers, familiar problem
Accidental overdose fatalities are down in Westmoreland County. On Thursday, Coroner Tim Carson released the data for deaths in 2023. The news overall is good. The number of people who died due to accidentally ingesting too many drugs fell from 118 to just 95. That’s an almost 20% drop, and...
Editorial: The dollars and sense of the Mon Incline
There are certain fixtures that simply define their city. For Paris, it’s the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. For Washington, there are the White House and the Capitol and the monuments on the mall. For Philadelphia, it’s the Liberty Bell, the LOVE sculpture and the steps of the...
Laurels & lances: Water and bugs
Laurel: To getting back to normal. In November, Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County notified some customers about water restrictions. The move came because of low levels at Beaver Run Reservoir. Drought conditions across the region meant the reservoir was not being replenished by rain, and the amount of water to...
Editorial: Is Westmoreland County a sanctuary or not?
Is Westmoreland County a sanctuary for undocumented individuals? It seems unlikely to anyone who knows much about the county’s politics. Republicans make up just over 50% of the county’s 245,290 voters. That might be just over half, but it’s still 13% more than the Democrats. Unaffiliated and “other” voters who...
Editorial: Does political party mean what it used to in Pennsylvania?
Laurie MacDonald will not be the next representative for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. After a challenge to the Mt. Washington resident’s nominating petition, MacDonald was off the Democratic ballot for the April primary. That leaves the first round of the election to a battle between incumbent U.S. Rep. Summer Lee,...
Editorial: Who do we thank for freedom of information?
Ask who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and most people will promptly respond with Thomas Jefferson. Ask about the Constitution, and Broadway enthusiasts and history buffs may wax poetic about Alexander Hamilton. But who do we credit with the Bill of Rights? That honor goes to James Madison. The fourth...
Editorial: Fraud can affect anyone
Fraud is one of those things that happens to other people. That’s what we want to believe. That’s true of plenty of bad stuff in life. Fires, crimes, cancer — all of that is easier to accept when we distance ourselves from it. But fraud carries a little something extra....
Editorial: Why weigh in on international issues?
Allegheny County Council has reason to get involved in a lot of issues. It can take actions that impact the environment. It can do things that affect the economy of the state — even a few states given the area’s proximity to Ohio and West Virginia. It can make a...
Editorial: Another chance to say Marc Fogel’s name missed
After the State of the Union address, much about the annual speech is dissected. What were the highs? What were the lows? What were the priorities set or the challenges made? What gets less attention is what wasn’t said. On Thursday, President Joe Biden hit a lot of the expected...
Laurels & lances: Letters and bills
Laurel: To an elegant return. Some schools are making sure that in a world of texting, the time-honored skill of handwriting doesn’t get lost. State Rep. Joe Adams, R-Wayne/Pike, has introduced a bill that would require public schools to teach cursive. While some schools — like Mary Queen of Apostles...
Editorial: Does the presidential primary matter in Pennsylvania?
The Super Tuesday dust still is settling. On one day, 16 states and one territory had a caucus or primary — in Utah, both were held. People decided which candidates would receive the Democratic or Republican delegates toward the nomination of a presidential candidate. There had been similar contests in...
Editorial: Last-minute Monroeville Convention Center save is a community and economic win
A convention center serves an important role for a community. Actually, it serves more than one. It’s a gathering place for significant events that require large spaces. Those can be within a specific population like a trade or business interest. It might be broader interest like a bridal or home...
Editorial: Fern Hollow victims expose shameful shortcomings in state law
The law is supposed to be fair. It is supposed to be rendered equally, no matter who the parties are. If you sue your neighbor for crashing into your car, the court shouldn’t find more fault than it does for a stranger. If the company behind the product that hurt...
Editorial: Only Congress can (and must) tap the brakes on AI
You could almost hear palms smacking onto foreheads all over the techier corners of the internet this week, after a Google artificial intelligence program began generating pictures of Black founding fathers, a female Pope and other notions that would exist only in the most fringe-progressive alternate reality. No, the culprit...
Editorial: Election security task force can only do so much
Among the most important events to happen in Pennsylvania this year will be the primary election in April and the general election in November. It is important to every person in the state, as every state House of Representatives seat and a number of state Senate seats will be on...
Editorial: Pittsburgh bag ban has good intentions, bad rollout
A plastic bag ban may sound like a good idea. At the very least, it may sound like a good intention. The purpose is to pull plastics out of the environment. Although people may differ in opinion over climate change, it’s harder to deny the impact of plastics on our...
Laurels & lances: Financial aid and fire
Laurel: To taking some time. There is no reason universities can’t take steps to make up for problems that affect their students. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid — or FAFSA — system was updated last year. While “update” might seem like a good thing, the process is creating...
Editorial: Supreme Court’s sticky web: The First Amendment protects social media
The nation’s highest court Monday heard oral arguments in challenges to Florida and Texas laws in which state governments seek to force social media companies to let more people say more things on their platforms — in other words, to behave less like publishers and more like free-for-all public squares....
Editorial: Does Robert Morris University need state money for a hockey arena?
Public money always seems to make its way into sports venues. The story is always the same. This field will be good for the community. It will generate income. It will provide value. As with so many other cities, the Pittsburgh landscape is defined by these venues. One also could...
