Editorials category, Page 74
Editorial: Tranquilli resignation is last judicious word
Nolle prosequi is one of those formal, Latin phrases that abounds in the law. Translated to English as “not to follow,” in court it refers to a charge that isn’t pursued, often because of a plea deal where other charges were completed. On Tuesday, Allegheny County Judge Mark V. Tranquilli...
Editorial: The commonwealth’s appeal to serious common sense on coronavirus safety
Is Pennsylvania doing what it should have been doing all along with the coronavirus pandemic? Secretary of Health Rachel Levine announced Tuesday “targeted efforts” to address rising covid-19 numbers. The measures include beefing up the mask mandate she issued in April. It will demand people be masked inside anytime they...
Editorial: The quest for clarity in state covid data and actions
On March 20, Pennsylvania had 20 diagnosed cases of covid-19. The state was at the very beginning of measures that Gov. Tom Wolf implemented to address the spread of the disease. Ten days later, Wolf was upping the response, issuing stay-at-home orders for 26 counties because the numbers were rising....
Editorial: This holiday season, let’s put seniors at the center
The holidays tend to make us focus on one area of family more than any other. Kids. It makes sense. So much of the period between Thanksgiving and the New Year is child-centric, or at the very least, family friendly. School pageants. Pictures in those adorable outfits that moms love...
Editorial: Westmoreland commissioners half-right on following mail-in ballot rules
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew has a point: There are rules for a reason. On Friday, the county’s Elections Board rejected 343 mail-in ballots that were improperly dated on the mailing envelope. Democratic Commissioner Gina Cerilli voted to count them. Chew and his Republican counterpart Sean Kertes declined to vote...
Editorial: Long-term care homes face fierce fiscal reality
Nursing homes have been talked about a great deal over the last eight months. Most of the talk has been alarming, as the first real outbreak of covid-19 happened at a long-term care facility in Washington state. The same location saw the first medical worker infected and the first U.S....
Laurels & lances: Winning, gloating and writing
Laurel: To beautiful representation. Maybe Victoria Piekut isn’t Miss USA. She is still making her community proud. The Irwin woman and reigning Miss Pennsylvania USA competed for the crown in Memphis this week. She didn’t win. But she did show up, participate, represent her state and her home and do...
Editorial: Pitt’s covid response and research should be partners
The University of Pittsburgh wants its students to stay put. Until they go home, at least. The university issued the order for the Oakland campus Sunday. It comes amid an upswing in covid-19 cases at the college. Monday, Pitt reported 74 positive cases in just three days. That is part...
Editorial: Veterans deserve lifelong support for their life of service
A veteran is usually identified as a person who served in the military. It also can mean a person of great experience. There is a reason for the overlap. U.S. military veterans seem to have experience in so many fields. Of 45 presidents sworn into office, 26 served in uniform...
Editorial: Tearing down houses can build communities
One bad property can be the first domino in an unfortunate chain reaction for a community. Maybe it happened because of a fire. Maybe it stood empty after a foreclosure. Maybe it fell into disrepair when an absent owner couldn’t keep up with the maintenance. Whatever the reason, it becomes...
Editorial: The election’s over, and unfinished business beckons locally
Guess what? Not everything is about the election. It’s true. There are still things happening in the world that have nothing to do with who won the presidency — or attorney general or auditor or treasurer or one of the legislative seats. And maybe one of the best things about...
Editorial: Pennsylvanians, a keystone in this election, can continue to lead the way
When big things happen in the world, the job of hometown papers is often to find a way to connect it to the local community. The 2020 election turned that on its head. The battle for the presidency may have been a national story, but that was in large part...
Editorial: Toomey and Santorum are right about voting
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is the kind of Republican that needs to be heard right now. Toomey has been a reliably conservative Republican his entire political life. He has advocated for the Constitution and hewn close to the party’s bones when it comes to foreign policy, small government and fiscal...
Laurels & lances: Duty, responsibility and generosity
Laurel: To doing your duty. Some people plan to vote but don’t get around to it because they get busy or they don’t feel well or the weather isn’t nice. But some people really put in the effort. Megan Walker of Tarentum is one of those committed voters who doesn’t...
Editorial: Pennsylvania is more than 20 electoral votes
Late night humor is often political, frequently gleeful and generally a fluid blend of accurate and exaggerated. That’s comedy. Stephen Colbert may be the reigning king of the savage political snark, but Tuesday, he took a Twitter stab at the Keystone State that might have seemed like humor but could...
Editorial: FirstEnergy shell switch should be explored
Big companies can be like Russian nesting dolls with layers upon layers of organization and ownership. The bigger the parent company, often the more companies are contained within other companies. Pennsylvania electric consumers could deal with a new middleman company in 2022. That’s when Keystone Appalachian Transmission Co. takes over...
Editorial: Behold the power of your vote
There is a lot of attention paid to endorsements in elections — that rubber stamp from one organization or VIP given to this candidate or that ticket. But if the 2020 election shows us anything, it is the critical importance of another E word. Empowerment. The most important thing about...
Editorial: Wage gap is important but so is tax gap
Paychecks can often be a sticking point when it comes to government work. It isn’t that government employees necessarily toil in poverty. It’s that there can be a big difference between what the same work merits in public service versus private. The presidency, for example, comes with a $400,000 annual...
Editorial: Is Pennsylvania prepared for Election Day?
Pennsylvania is ready for the election on Tuesday. That’s what the state government says. “Pennsylvania is prepared. We are protected for this election and voters can cast their ballots with confidence. We are going to have a fair election where everyone can vote without interference,” Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday....
Editorial: IUP’s job slashing is scary move
It’s that spooky time of year when things that chill the soul wait around every corner. Vampires. Zombies. Blood and gore and skeletons. But the scariest frights are the ones you didn’t expect. On Friday, what jumped out of the dark at 81 faculty members of Indiana University of Pennsylvania...
Laurels & lances: Names, runs, support, rules
Laurel: To an appropriate response. Fox Chapel Borough is right to move deliberately with the proposal to change the names of streets and trails that contain the word “Squaw.” The council president wants to collect the opinions of the people living on the roads of Squaw Run and Squaw Run...
Editorial: Duquesne, HACP partnership shows time to heal
According to Book of Ecclesiastes — and made popular by The Byrds by way of Pete Seeger — there is a time and a season for everything. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to build...
Editorial: At the high court, Pennsylvania votes are in the balance
The law is built on concepts like precedent and fair play and coloring inside the lines. It follows a script and a timeline. Justice is blind because it is meant to operate only within the confines of the cage of the laws the way they are written. Thus the courts...
Editorial: Confusion over covid data inconsistency can cause harm
When writing and researching articles, reporters rely on two elements. There are the anecdotal incidents that occur. What a crime victim saw, what a politician said, the feelings of the crowd at a protest. Then there are the facts. It takes both of those things together to make up the...
Editorial: Tree of Life, two years later
The way the news comes in waves that crest and crash can mean that something huge and all-encompassing one minute can seem to become smaller and less important the further away it gets. But that isn’t true. An event that is important because of the pain it causes and the...
