Editorials category, Page 71
Editorial: If legislators get power over ’emergency powers,’ no time for petty politics
It is an understatement to say Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus pandemic response has not been universally popular. While some point to the administration’s restrictions on gatherings, early shutdowns of businesses and schools, mask mandates and other measures as important steps to limit the spread of covid-19, there are plenty of...
Editorial: Angel Arms fulfills its mission to mend, pandemic or not
The coronavirus pandemic has been the biggest story in the world for a year. But it isn’t the only story. Covid-19 is not the only thing that kills people. The problems associated with it are not the only problems affecting people’s lives. It may be the big bad wolf, but...
Editorial: The inevitable state budget showdown, once again
On Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf formally released his latest budget proposal. It was hardly a surprise. This is not the governor’s first budget, after all. In his seventh trip around this particular block, he treads on familiar territory. It pushes heavily on a central theme of increased funding for education....
Editorial: Unemployment benefit delayed is justice denied
If you lost your job today, how long would you be able to support yourself and your family? How long until you couldn’t make your house payment? How long until the electric bill wasn’t paid? When would you start balancing the car insurance against the homeowners insurance? And none of...
Laurels & lances: Book, buses and banners
Laurel: To telling stories. Lots of kids can weave tall tales. Every parent asking about missing homework can attest to that. But Josh Ingram, 11, of Plum has really upped the game when it comes to childhood storytelling. The Holiday Park Elementary student doesn’t just tell stories. He wrote one....
Editorial: Allegheny River locks have a good ripple effect
The Allegheny River is more than just a long ribbon of water. It’s part of what defines Southwestern Pennsylvania. It played a role in the settlement of the area and in its growth. It gave birth to our communities and our industries. Cleaning it has been the task of generations...
Editorial: The Department of State’s failure has many hands
Success is rarely something that happens alone. When the Steelers win a game, it’s not just because of the quarterback. When the jury returns a verdict, it’s not just because of the judge. When government makes a law, there is never just one guy who made that happen. And by...
Editorial: Punxsutawney Phil, Western Pa.’s gift to perpetual news
It happens every year. All eyes turn toward a Western Pennsylvania hamlet to wait for a sleepy rodent to pop out of his burrow, look around for his shadow and make a prediction about when spring will start. Let’s be honest. No one really thinks Punxsutawney Phil — or any...
Editorial: Dermody’s upward fall is all-too-familiar in political world
Leaving an elected office is not the end of the world. Plenty of people go on to live rich, full lives after they depart the world of public service. They might retire to concentrate on things they never got to do before, like President George W. Bush, who has embraced...
Editorial: Pa. courts represent all Pennsylvanians
Judges and justices in Pennsylvania have never been a complicated situation. A magisterial district judge presides over a set portion of a county. The people of that set portion cast a vote for the position. A county Court of Common Pleas judge presides over a whole county. The people of...
Editorial: The case of quaffing cops and the reason for rules
It is important to follow the rules — especially when enforcing the rules is your job. That is why the idea of Pittsburgh police officers drinking on the job is enough to draw attention. Reports arose that a group of 17 officers who were working on election night ended up...
Laurels & lances: Different ways to lead
Laurel: To serving your neighbors. It’s hard to find people to step up when it comes to public service. Everyone wants to blame the people who make the decisions regardless of the level of government. Local leaders don’t get the same kind of paycheck that state or federal officials do....
Editorial: All hands on deck for vaccination rollout
Why isn’t there one coordinated plan to navigate the rough waters of the coronavirus pandemic? It isn’t that government doesn’t know how to work together in a disaster, pulling all hands together and tugging on the rope as one to get something done. It absolutely does. The Federal Emergency Management...
Editorial: Clamoring to be ‘most eligible’ in the vaccine sweepstakes
What does it mean to be eligible? It is the right to do something, the right to get something. If you are looking to fix your daughter up with the perfect guy, you are looking for the most eligible bachelor — the guy who will check all the boxes. To...
Editorial: When recovery houses fail, so does addiction recovery
It is no secret that the coronavirus pandemic isn’t the first health crisis Pennsylvania has faced in recent years. Until a never-before-seen disease started to burn around the world last year, there was another epidemic that was discussed on an almost daily basis. The opioid crisis has killed more than...
Editorial: Odds are good for gambling in pandemic
Fewer people gambled in casinos in Pennsylvania in 2020. Is anyone surprised? The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board recently issued a report that detailed that fact, outlining how one of the state’s newest and fastest growing industries faced the same kind of problems many others did during the coronavirus pandemic. Total...
Editorial: It isn’t Pittsburgh vs. Paris
Pittsburgh is not the opposite of Paris. Since Donald Trump announced a withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2017 with the statement “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,” the two cities have become a kind of political shorthand for the balance between the economy...
Editorial: For local governments large and small, distress is universal
The coronavirus pandemic has been a lot of things to a lot of people. It has been a medical emergency. It has been a financial boondoggle. It has been a planning nightmare, an educational upheaval and an employment catastrophe. But it’s also been something else. A great equalizer. On Tuesday,...
Laurels & lances: Eating, excellence, elections
Laurel: To a tasteful event. Restaurants have had a rough year. Those that have survived the last 11 months have done so with tenacity and hard work that has to be commended. And that makes this year’s Greensburg Restaurant Week probably the most important ever. Nineteen different eateries are participating...
Editorial: Raising expectations for covid vaccinations but not delivering
On Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health unveiled a website to help move along the covid-19 vaccination process. Click on the link, and you go to a state page with a quiz that poses a few questions to determine if you meet the criteria to get the vaccine now. Are...
Editorial: The American experiment succeeds
America is often described as a great experiment in democracy. We have now spent 233 years operating under the auspices of the U.S. Constitution. The experiment has been under way for long enough that it is less trial and error and more pattern and tradition. In 1796, we wondered if...
Editorial: Bringing back movies to the Mills is a welcome sign
Closings are something that are a little too familiar right now. They aren’t new, of course. Too many Southwestern Pennsylvania towns have Main Streets strewn with shuttered storefronts. Many shopping malls are shells of their former selves. The coronavirus pandemic has hastened what might have been a chronic illness, pulling...
Editorial: Martin Luther King Jr.’s dreams still ring out
When Martin Luther King Jr. came to the Lincoln Memorial in March 1963, he spoke words that echoed like a bell. They rang true and resonated with both heartbreak and faith as he spoke about a dream of equality, freedom and the future. It was a moment that seems suspended...
Editorial: Nursing shortage and pay needs more attention
It’s hard to prioritize whose work is more important than someone else’s at any time. Sidney Crosby might be the bright star of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but you can’t play hockey without the guy who drives the Zamboni over the ice, either. The coronavirus pandemic can make those inevitable comparisons...
Editorial: Arconic appeal shows need for reform
School districts spend a lot of time trying to make the money match the mission. Administrators and school boards haggle endlessly, moving the pieces in a puzzle that will provide children with the best education possible within the framework of the available finances. An amazing arts program would be fantastic,...
