Editorials category, Page 59
Editorial: Lemieux’s place in new Penguins leadership shows value of continuity
OK, now it’s official. Fenway Sports Group is buying the Pittsburgh Penguins, with a price tag some are putting at around $900 million. The Boston-based company announced Monday that, yes, the rumors are true and the Penguins will be added to its stable of teams that spans sports such as...
Editorial: Butler County Community College teaches lesson with ransomware shutdown
Colleges like to compare themselves to each other. Pitt measures itself against its state-related siblings Penn State and Temple and its neighbors like Duquesne University and Carnegie Mellon. They all pay attention to where they fall against their peers on other lists. Which is ranked highest in U.S. News and...
Editorial: Most important part of gun ownership is responsibility
With great power comes great responsibility. That’s more than just a good life lesson from the pages of a comic book. It’s an undeniable truth. The more power we hold in our hands, the more responsible we are for what we do with it. Drive a car, and you have...
Editorial: Demand your money’s worth from elected officials
In 2022, many people will be hoping for an increase in salary, but it won’t be a guarantee. Unless you happen to be a Pennsylvania lawmaker. Or judge. Or high-ranking government official. For someone falling into one of these categories, 2022 not only will come with a raise, but it...
Editorial: Public money, trust demand answers from Freeport
The proper response to a request for information about public money is not “It’s taken care of. Trust us.” That should go without saying. The purpose of laws regarding open records is to make sure what public officials say can be proven or disproven because, sadly, sometimes people aren’t entirely...
Laurels & lances: Brain drain, Black Friday, bald eagles
Laurel: To looking for answers. For years, Pennsylvania communities have suffered from a problem called “brain drain.” It’s the unfortunate tendency of state students to graduate from high school and go to Pitt or Penn State or another local college and learn valuable skills only to move away and take...
Editorial: And for this, we give thanks
Despite what the Norman Rockwell images have taught us, the fourth Thursday in November is not about perfectly roasted turkeys and gathering around a perfectly set table laid out with white linens and pristine porcelain. It is not about football. Not about Christmas music. Not about dog shows or parades...
Editorial: Franklin Regional’s vaccine clinic ban seems disingenuous
If kids need to get covid-19 vaccines, they will not be getting them at Franklin Regional locations. The school board Monday voted to prohibit the use of the district’s property for vaccine clinics. “We’re not a medical facility,” board member Deb Wohlin said. “Why would we want to take this...
Editorial: Why redact the forensic audit contract?
An out-of-state consulting firm will be receiving $270,000 over the next six months as part of a review of the 2020 election. Envoy Sage of Dubuque, Iowa, is a crisis and risk management company that has been in business since August 2020. It will be working with Pennsylvania Senate Republicans...
Editorial: Westmoreland County needs to rein in spending
The Westmoreland County commissioners have a preliminary budget on the table. The proposed $365.5 million spending plan for 2022 does not raise property taxes above the 21.49 mills where they stand now. That can be a good thing. What isn’t? A disturbing trend of spending money the county isn’t making....
Editorial: CDC and Pennsylvania covid numbers need to agree
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave a great grade to Pennsylvania last week. The agency’s vaccination map proclaimed that 95% of state residents had received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccination. Wow. That’s unbelievable. That’s the problem. It’s not true. Pennsylvania is not head and shoulders...
Editorial: Big paychecks can be bad look amid health care struggles
In 2020, Highmark CEO David Holmberg saw his paycheck dip. This isn’t surprising. Plenty of people made less money in a year when the coronavirus pandemic turned everything — especially health care — upside down. There will probably be little sympathy for Holmberg, however, as his $325,000 loss still let...
Laurels & lances: Stores, seats and lunch ladies
Laurel: To more stores. After years of the news out of malls being all about closings and going-out-of-business sales, it is refreshing to have the trend at one shopping center going in the opposite direction. Westmoreland Mall is seeing not just new tenants but also returning ones. It’s great to...
Editorial: Is Penguins sale good or bad for Pittsburgh?
Buying a sports franchise can be a little like flipping a house. Someone comes in with enough cash to do things that maybe haven’t been done in a while. Upgrade this. Rehab that. See if you can turn a profit. The difference is no one really sees a multimillion dollar...
Editorial: Invasive species are environmental threat everyone can fight
Pennsylvania is a state often associated with industry. Steel and glass. Coal and gas. But the Keystone State is just as famous for its nature. The U.S. Forest Service confirms that it has more areas wooded than not, with 16.8 million acres or 58% of the state. There are more...
Editorial: Police position vacancies more than a Freeport problem
The people of Freeport are supposed to have police protection. The borough has a police department, and council has approved funding of positions to operate it. It had people in those jobs for years, patrolling the streets and answering calls in the community of 1,813 people in Armstrong County along...
Editorial: Toll bridges could cost municipalities
Bridges need to be repaired so that people can continue to use them. That doesn’t seem to be a hard idea to process. The bridges were built for a reason. They need to be used to get from one place to another by going over something else. Sometimes they cross...
Editorial: Mask appeal is latest political power play
On Monday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that Pennsylvania schools could set their own mask policies as of Jan. 17, opening the door for districts where parents have bristled under the state requirement to ease or eliminate the demand that students, staff and visitors mask up in the face of the...
Editorial: Respecting employees can fix employment crisis
Businesses, especially the boots-on-the-ground variety like food service and retail, are in the midst of an employment crisis. Many are being forced to scale back hours or days to deal with the availability of staff. It’s a problem that was kicked off by the coronavirus pandemic and its layoffs amid...
Laurels & lances: Grants, pants and lanternflies
Laurel: To investing in people. The best thing to boom an economy is a good pool of people to do the jobs that keep the gears of any industry turning. That is why an investment in developing that pool is good news. Penn State is receiving a $1.5 million federal...
Editorial: Veterans deserve our leaders’ respect and support beyond just Veterans Day
Everyone loves a veteran. Especially a politician. On Veterans Day, that pride and appreciation of those who stood up and did their duty when asked or stepped forward to volunteer will be on display in many corners. Flags will be flown and speeches will be given. Ceremonies will be held,...
Editorial: Would Pittsburgh’s traffic stop proposal change anything?
Flashing lights in the rearview mirror and the whine of a siren are almost never welcome. They are, at best, the beginning of an irritating delay and frequently the herald of a pricey citation. But they can also lead to more tense situations. Viral videos of traffic stops that turned...
Editorial: Parental support for kids vaccine can make difference
Covid-19 has been a disease fraught with hot-button aspects: The masks. The mandates. The shutdowns. The treatments. And the vaccines. Eleven months after the first Pfizer-BioNTech injections were administered to front-line health care workers, about 61% of Pennsylvanians have been vaccinated, but there is still pushback from certain quarters —...
Editorial: Municipal budgets are public documents
When it comes to money, a municipality is supposed to be an open book. That’s not just a metaphor. The book in question isn’t a euphemism. It’s literal. The way a city or a borough or a township spend its money — whether from its own residents or passed through...
Editorial: Was Wolf’s ballot an honest mistake?
Often, changing a law is all about politics — especially when it has to do with the big issues that make headlines. In recent years, there is no issue that gets more attention than elections. How people register. How they vote. How those votes are counted and where and for...
