Letter to the editor: Committed to fire hydrant safety
Your editorial “Fire hydrants are critical infrastructure” (Dec. 2, TribLive) about the Elizabeth Township hydrant underscores the importance of this infrastructure, and we want to clarify Pennsylvania American Water’s (PAWC) commitment to reliability and safety. We adhere to American Water Works Association protocols for annual hydrant inspection and maintenance, and...
Editorial: $3 million moonlighting failure leaves Pittsburgh in the dark
Pittsburgh police have been over budget for years, particularly regarding overtime. Mayor Ed Gainey’s proposed budget all but ignores the cost of overtime in a manner that, frankly, makes no sense. Go to any pizza shop, corner store, hospital or university, and keeping overtime under control is a priority for...
Letter to the editor: Pets don’t make for good holiday gifts
As the holidays approach, many people are looking for meaningful gifts, and some believe a new pet makes the perfect surprise. But giving animals as gifts, especially without the recipient’s knowledge, can endanger both the person and the pet. A surprised new guardian has no chance to prepare for the...
David M. Drucker: It’s getting harder for governors to run for president
There’s a reason George W. Bush was the last governor to win the White House: In the 25-plus years since, governors have proven incapable of weathering the intense public scrutiny and navigating the media barrage of gotcha questions that accompany running for president. There are reasons for that. As local...
Claudia Sahm: $2,000 tariff checks are a good idea badly planned
President Donald Trump is promoting the idea of sending a $2,000 check to most Americans funded by revenues brought by his tariffs on imports. The scheme has received a frosty reception from Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress and economists alike, and they are unlikely to happen. If the White House...
Letter to the editor: Kudos to DMV workers
There are always jokes about the DMV. Recently I renewed my driver’s license. It was a pleasant experience. The workers were warm, friendly and helpful. I had a little problem, which was my fault, which they turned into no problem. It wasn’t too busy, but everyone was working steadily and...
Letter to the editor: A look at Trump’s track record
Did President Trump partake of the offerings of Jeffrey Epstein? If any victims testified positively to this, they’ll probably face death threats. So let’s consider Trump’s track record instead. 1. His lifetime reputation as a womanizer, the $130,000 payoff to Stormy Daniels and accusations of sexual harassment or worse by...
Editorial: In praise of the handwritten Christmas card
We’ve all come to dread checking the mail. And not just when property taxes are due. Most of the year, the only post we get is bills, which are depressing, or advertisements, headed straight for the trash. Our mailboxes, once filled with interest and promise, have become a breeding ground...
Letter to the editor: Another view on the real Christmas story
The letter “The real Christmas story” (Dec. 2, TribLive) claims Christ’s birthdate is unknown; I agree. However, our views then diverge. Roman periodic censuses were used for tax, military and demographic purposes. Joseph’s family’s hometown was Bethlehem. Scheming to conform to prophesy is implausible. The Sanhedrin rejected Jesus as messiah,...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 8
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 8....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 8
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 8....
Letter to the editor: Killing survivors a sign of our moral collapse
As a veteran, I never imagined my own government would publicly acknowledge issuing an order that ended with the killing of defenseless survivors in the water. Yet the White House has admitted the order was given. That alone should tell every American this country has slipped off its constitutional foundation....
Editorial: What’s the future of health care independence?
In 2022, Excela Health announced a merger with Butler Health System. It was all about taking the two organizations and giving them “the requisite scale to accelerate and elevate its relevancy … in the region’s highly competitive health care marketplace.” That public-relations speak could be interpreted as allowing the hospitals...
Letter to the editor: Shop local, strengthening our communities
As the holiday season arrives, Westmoreland County comes alive — lights glowing in storefronts, families sharing traditions and our business districts filled with excitement. It’s the perfect time to remember a simple truth: Every dollar spent locally strengthens the foundation of our community. Whether you’re exploring boutiques in Downtown Greensburg,...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Is Trump being conned? Or is he conning us?
As President Donald Trump tells it, when someone criticizes him it is a “con job” or “fake news.” At a cabinet meeting last week, Trump told struggling American families that they are not struggling, that affordability is a “con job” and a “Democratic scam.” Average Americans know that inflation has...
Adam Patric Miller: As a teacher, I’m seeing the death of American education
A student I like turns in an essay. (She won me over because she brings “Crime and Punishment” to class, and her last name is Russian, which makes me think of the great-grandparents I never met who left Russia for the reasons many Jews left.) A few sentences into her...
Point: Standardized tests were built for a predictable world; that world is gone
For more than a century, American education has been driven by the same invisible engine: standardization. Rows of desks. National tests. Rankings. From No Child Left Behind to statewide report cards, we have long measured success by what can be quantified, compared and controlled. This model, born in the industrial...
Counterpoint: Standardized tests help students by creating a framework for accountability
When the College Board canceled SAT testing in 2020, hundreds of colleges adopted test-optional admissions policies for that fall. The Urban Institute reported that the number of four-year colleges and universities going test-optional nearly doubled in one year, from 713 to 1,350. Test-optional admissions had been spreading before the covid...
Letter to the editor: Forgetting the victims of overdose
Per the CDC: March 2025, 77,648 overdose deaths versus the previous year, 103,529. And we are worried about drug runners? So typical of our society now. Forget the victims. As someone whose family has been affected by drug addiction and death, we could care less about stopping the drug trade....
Letter to the editor: Congress members correct on war crimes
I am appalled that your newspaper should print the Associated Press story “Pentagon says it’s investigating Sen. Mark Kelly over video urging troops to defy ‘illegal orders’ ” (Nov. 24, TribLive). Six Congress members — unlike President Trump, veterans all — issued a video telling soldiers they did not have...
Editorial: Colleges can build big without begging for cash
Oh, those college expenses. There are those big ideas of what it will be like. It’s all freedom and independence until financial reality sets in. Then the calls start to come about borrowing money. No, this isn’t about your sophomore psychology student wanting to use that emergency credit card. It’s...
Letter to the editor: When disasters strike, our community steps up
While many of us are asleep, families huddle on the street, watching firefighters douse the flames consuming their home. At the same time, local Red Cross volunteers — neighbors from our own community — comfort those families and provide emergency lodging, recovery support and a shoulder to lean on during...
Cal Thomas: Conservative giants Buckley, Thatcher deserve more praise
While only a small number of us live to be 100, everyone’s birthday has a centenary date. For historians who seem mostly to be of the liberal persuasion and obituary writers (ditto) the way the 100th anniversary of a conservative’s birth usually results in one of the following: ignored, diminished...
S.E. Cupp: This really may be the political end for Trump
Over years and years of covering politics, the last decade of which has been spent covering Donald Trump specifically, I’ve learned you can never really count him out. It’s been a painful, exhausting, and deeply disappointing lesson, but an important one nonetheless. He keeps on keeping on. The things I...
Chris Rosselot: Pittsburgh’s mayoral transition opportunity for community commitment
As Pittsburgh prepares to begin a new chapter under Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor, the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG) views this moment as an opportunity to center neighborhood voices and recommit to a development strategy that is responsible, equitable and grounded in community experience. Transitions in leadership can create uncertainty, but...
