Editorials category, Page 43
Editorial: Pennsylvania must prepare to pay claims
The Pennsylvania Senate last week passed a bill tying together three unrelated proposed constitutional amendments that included compensation for sexual abuse victims, leaving in question whether any of those matters will appear on ballots this year as referendums. The Senate majority wants amendments to require mandatory voter identification, even for...
Editorial: Special elections are set now, right?
The special elections for three Pennsylvania state House of Representatives seats will be held Feb. 7. That’s what a three-judge Commonwealth Court panel said Friday. As of now, the three Allegheny County seats that are up for grabs will be put before their district voters on the same day. Rep....
Editorial: What is the cost of UPMC’s minimum wage hike?
UPMC is raising its minimum wage to $18 per hour. That speaks to a lot happening in the Pennsylvania economy. The need to fill jobs that keep businesses functioning has been a major theme for three years. It is bad enough when restaurants and retailers struggle to keep the doors...
Laurels & lances: A last goodbye and a final cost
Laurel: To a sad goodbye. Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire was killed Jan. 2 in an incident that was a tragedy for his family and the community he served. On Wednesday, the massive turnout for his funeral spoke to his relationships with his neighbors as well as his respect within...
Editorial: A legislature that does nothing can do damage
What is worse than 15 votes to get a speaker of the House in Washington? Not one vote in Harrisburg. On Monday, the speaker of Pennsylvania’s state House — Democrat or possibly independent Rep. Mark Rozzi of Berks County — sent the other 199 representatives home without taking up a...
Editorial: Should Speaker Rozzi register as an independent?
It seems like we got a little cocky. Pennsylvania as a whole was feeling a bit smug as we watched the U.S. House of Representatives unravel like a frayed blanket amid the attempt to do the very baseline first steps of setting up for the 118th Congress. “Ha,” we said...
Editorial: Was Westmoreland County DA Nicole Ziccarelli’s car crash a minor incident?
It does not matter if a public official’s incident is a fender bender or a four-car collision. What can make it a big deal is how it is handled. Just like with information requests and properly conducted meetings, the difference between doing it right and doing it wrong is doing...
Editorial: The too-long list of 2022 homicides
There was no waiting for Allegheny County’s first homicide of 2022. It came promptly Jan. 1 when Amariey Lei was found shot to death in the 1300 block of Wood Street in Wilkinsburg. She was just 19 and coached hip-hop and baton for the Lady Diamonds dance team, of which...
Editorial: Can Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau audit results be shrugged off?
Between 2017 and 2020, unbalanced books led to more than $650,000 in state reimbursements not being made to the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau. It is a testament to reviews of those books by state Auditor General Timothy DeFoor that the unpaid funds were identified in December 2022. The audits turned...
Editorial: Annual Pennsylvania toll increases are lawmakers’ fault
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission takes a lot of flak, especially at this time of year. It happens like clockwork. While other people are struggling to maintain their New Year’s resolutions and break bad habits, the commission falls back into its annual January rut and raises the toll rates. No one...
Laurels & lances: New job, big loss
Lance: To a terrible grief. The line-of-duty shooting of Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire is something that should never have happened. It’s more than the family should have to bear, and it’s a sorrow that spreads to a community not only robbed of an important leader but also of a...
Editorial: The surprising resolution of Pennsylvania’s House leadership vote
The Pennsylvania Legislature is as polarized as a car battery. Almost nothing can happen in the hallowed halls of Harrisburg without boiling down to positive and negative, pro and con and, above all, Democrat and Republican. Until Tuesday. On the same day the U.S. House of Representatives was paralyzed with...
Editorial: Shared grief and the tragedies of McIntire shooting, Hamlin injury
There is a difference between sorrow and grief. Sorrow is the emotional state we feel when confronted by great loss or devastating disappointment. It isn’t depression, but it might lead there. Grief is different. It is a process that one goes through while experiencing the crushing blows of a trauma....
Editorial: The bubble of higher education costs
Education is not just a building block of society. It is more than a public good and a public right. It is also a commodity. Like a new car or a house or a dozen eggs, a quality education above and beyond high school graduation is something many people pay...
Editorial: Address suicide by respecting mental health
It is always hard to lose a loved one. Whether it happens because of disease or accident or criminal act, death is a gut punch. It hits hard and deep. It is aching and empty. When the loss is self-inflicted, it leaves something else behind. Families and friends can struggle...
Editorial: The to-do list for 2023
As the clock runs out on 2022, we say goodbye to a year that has been jam-packed with significant events from the start. The pandemic was still going on. There were booster shots and new variants to address. The midterm elections made Pennsylvania a focal point for politics. The U.S....
Laurels & lances: Results, delays and education
Laurel: To finishing up. The 2022 election is officially complete, as far as the state of Pennsylvania is concerned. The Department of State announced this week that the acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman has completed certification of results. That process was delayed because of recounts and challenges in 27...
Editorial: What do you really care about?
What is an editorial? It isn’t an article that keeps close to the events as they unfold, like with a car crash or a fire. It isn’t an investigation that takes a larger incident and digs into the background, unearthing truths that were perhaps not just unknown but unexpected. It...
Editorial: Did Tom Wolf understand politics?
Gov. Tom Wolf is about to close out his two-term tenure. It’s been quite a ride. Over the years, we have not been shy about laying criticism at the governor’s door. We have castigated him for budget issues. We have harangued him for administrative hiccups and staff pay raises. We...
Editorial: Use blighted properties to fight housing problems
There is seldom just one way to solve a problem. Instead, there can be a menu of options that can take you down different paths. The question is priorities. Do you want your task done quickly, cheaply, efficiently? Do you want it done green, or is supporting local business important?...
Laurels & lances: Naughty & nice
Laurel: To a worthy legacy. When Lower Burrell’s Brian Shaw, a New Kensington police officer, was killed in the line of duty in 2017, it didn’t bring an end to his service to the community. Five years later, a scholarship in Shaw’s name is making a difference in the lives...
Editorial: Franco Harris and how to play the game
Sports heroes don’t have much say in where they end up playing. It comes down to things like what team is highest in the draft and what positions that coach has to fill. By the same token, the cities that play host to those teams don’t have a say in...
Editorial: Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew’s unforced error
In 2019, when running for office, Doug Chew made a loud and proud campaign promise. Send him to the courthouse as a Westmoreland County commissioner, and he would take 60% of his paycheck and donate it to the drug court. The people listened. They gave him the job. Like other...
Editorial: Automatic pay raises are unfair to taxpayers
There’s nothing like starting the new year with a hefty pay hike. Sadly, that’s not something most Pennsylvanians will get to experience. It is, however, a benefit of being an elected official. Much of the attention in recent weeks has been centered on state officials — namely the legislators who...
Editorial: Why appoint a public information officer?
A public information officer seems like a good idea. The idea is a designated person is the spokesperson for a government entity or other agency. The name sounds like someone whose job is providing information, so it can be frustrating when the reality proves to be different. In 2019, the...
