Editorials category, Page 51
Editorial: Funding formula is PaSSHE pipe dream
Will a new formula redistribute state university money in a way that works? The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s governing board unanimously approved the funding proposal on Wednesday. It would follow what seems like an obvious plan, directing the money based on enrollment at what will be 10 universities...
Editorial: Always check the back seat for children
Today is a day to remember fathers. Instead, it seems important to urge everyone to remember kids instead. The littlest children. The ones without words yet. The ones who fall asleep quietly in the back of cars. Dads can take care of themselves. They really don’t need another tie. What...
Editorial: Victim’s stories have to be remembered
Homicide is a very clinical name given to the killing of one human being by another. Legally, killings can fall in a spectrum of responsibility. Vehicular homicide, involuntary and voluntary manslaughter, different degrees of murder. They all mean the same thing in the end. One person’s story ends. The drama...
Laurels & lances: Stress, permits and cooperation
Laurel: To valuable advice. Tim Murphy understands something about stress. Not only is he a licensed psychologist who specializes in psychological trauma, but he is also a former congressman who spent 14 years in Washington and resigned in 2017 amid a sex scandal. On Monday, he spoke at Westmoreland County...
Editorial: Workweek changes could be good for everyone
The five-day workweek is a concept that seems like it is knitted into the fabric of our culture. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s the shorthand for what it means to be in business or to have a job. Weekends are the time we have to ourselves,...
Editorial: Businesses and trails should be partners, not rivals
What is it about bikes that causes such friction? There was the push and pull with former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto that stamped him with the “Bike Lane Bill” moniker for many critics. Now you’ve got people squaring off in Export. Fights might make sense if you were talking about...
Editorial: Public events like airshow sell area
What is the point of throwing a large public event? It might seem like just a party, but a lot more is going on when you are talking about a big-budget, big-crowd event spread over days. It is advertising. It is marketing. It is economic development. And, yes, it’s a...
Editorial: Westmoreland commissioners did right delaying meeting but could have done better
Is 48 minutes a big deal? It is when it comes to the letter of the law. On Thursday, Westmoreland County commissioners started their public voting session at 1:30 p.m. as publicized on the county’s website. The problem? The agenda for the meeting was posted there at 2:18 p.m. Wednesday,...
Editorial: What is the fix for gas price increases?
The price of gas is rising faster than almost anything — except the profits of oil companies. The average price per gallon in the greater Pittsburgh area topped $5 for the first time last week, with Somerset up to $5.08. The national average is over $5, too. It’s a 35%...
Editorial: Will rebranding Pittsburgh buses work?
On Thursday, Port Authority of Allegheny County ceased to be. But it didn’t go anywhere. The buses still roll. So does the T. But with the unveiling of a new idea, Port Authority became Pittsburgh Regional Transit. It’s called rebranding. It’s a way that organizations — often big names —...
Laurels & lances: Rodeo, resignation and graduation
Laurel: To a wild ride. Westmoreland Mall might not seem like the Wild West, but you wouldn’t have known it over the weekend. The Pro Bulls & Barrels Rodeo and Concert — coordinated by Live! Casino — took place in a makeshift arena in an empty parking lot at the...
Editorial: Audits are where school districts have to show their work
Hear the word “audit,” and you tend to think about your taxes. It’s that process everyone dreads when filling out the annual return — having the Internal Revenue Service crawl through every number, line by line, to find mistakes. The personal fear makes it seem like a bad word. It...
Editorial: Police and mayoral departures show public services needs
“They didn’t feel they were appreciated.” That’s what Pittsburgh police Chief Scott Schubert told WESA in July 2021. He was talking about how his officers were retiring, resigning or otherwise leaving their jobs. He attributed it largely to taking other law enforcement jobs. On May 27, Schubert announced he was...
Editorial: Violence curbs business success
If you care about money, you need to care about curbing violence. Fudge Farm is closing its East Carson Street location on Pittsburgh’s South Side. A small business closing is not surprising in a high-inflation economic climate. That’s especially true for food service businesses that have been fighting for workers...
Editorial: Excela-Butler merger should preserve community focus
Excela Health plans to merge with Butler Health System. “I think it’s going to make Excela stronger,” said Latrobe city manager Terry Carcella. “The bigger you are, the better you are.” That’s a little simple, but let’s hope it’s true. The merger lowers the number of hospital organizations in the...
Editorial: Nelson’s college voucher bill leaves many questions
Pennsylvania needs to find a solution to funding its state and state-related universities and addressing the crippling student loan debt Keystone State students receive with their diplomas. It has been a growing problem for years as tuition costs climb. Many people blame the universities themselves and a top-heavy increase in...
Editorial: McCormick-Oz debacle is lawmakers’ fault
The counting of the ballots ground the neck-and-neck race to a near halt, becoming contentious as the candidates argued over whose votes would be counted and whose wouldn’t. If you think this is about David McCormick and Dr. Mehmet Oz and the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate battle in...
Laurels & lances: Honor, celebration and relaxation
Laurel: To giving honor. Across the region, this week began with solemn celebrations remembering the commitment and sacrifice of fallen soldiers. Memorial Day was commemorated with parades, with services and with a blizzard of red, white and blue decorations at area cemeteries. Even the mothers who lost their soldier children...
Editorial: Without gift ban, bribery is all but legal in Pennsylvania
Everyone knows what a bribe is. It’s the little tit-for-tat that greases the wheels. It’s an enticement that muffles the opposition. Sometimes it’s money. Sometimes it’s an opportunity. Sometimes it’s even legal. Slip a bill to a host at a restaurant for a good table. No problem. But sometimes it’s...
Editorial: De’Avry Thomas won’t be the last victim
Violence grabs attention the more graphic and awful and unthinkable it is. The Uvalde, Texas, shooting that left 19 kids ages 9 to 10 and two teachers dead at Robb Elementary and injured at least 17 others is the most glaring and timely example. It is the most recent terrible...
Editorial: Why can marijuana card companies advertise but doctors can’t?
When it comes to making health decisions, there are a lot of people bucking for seats at the table. The federal government wants its say. The state government definitely jumps up and down and waves its hands. There are the insurance companies. There are the pharmaceutical companies. Sometimes churches want...
Editorial: Remembrance and honor
For Memorial Day, a classic Trib editorial: On this Memorial Day, be grateful that Americans’ willingness to sacrifice for freedom’s sake, instilled by each generation in the next, remains as strong as ever. Today, Americans honor those most worthy of such gratitude — those who gave their lives in our...
Editorial: Apprenticeship could solve workforce, student loan problems
As school years are ending and students are graduating, there is a lot of moving on to start new phases of life. The focus for that tends to be on starting college. That’s an important step and helps prepare the next generation of doctors and lawyers, teachers and engineers. But...
Laurels & lances: Running, skimming, counting
Laurel: To hitting stride. A national program is working with girls at Highlands Elementary. Girls on the Run is, as the name would imply, largely about helping girls in third through fifth grades with building their physical fitness through running. But that’s only half the story. The program is also...
Editorial: In the wake of the Texas school shooting, is there any hope left?
The children of Uvalde, Texas, are no different than the children of Greensburg or New Kensington or Pittsburgh. The parents of Uvalde are no different than the parents of Latrobe or Sewickley or Tarentum. The kids of Robb Elementary were looking forward to school ending on Thursday and the start...
