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Editorials category, Page 13

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Editorial: Hispanic population growth can build Pennsylvania political power
Western Pennsylvania is not a melting pot of cultures. The people who have come to or passed through Pittsburgh and surrounding communities have not blended into a homogeneous puree of creamy uniformity. And, really, who would want that anyway? Instead, it’s more like a marketplace of skills, ideas, beliefs and...
Editorial: Pennsylvania School Boards Association should be subject to the Right-to-Know Law
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association might seem like a trade organization. The name gives the same feeling as other state groups for those with related business, such as the Pennsylvania Corn Growers Association, Pennsylvania Retailers Association or the Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania. There are similarities. Each group looks...
Laurels & lances: Legend, lanternflies and law
Laurel: To a sweet life. Gus Kalaris did what he could to brighten Pittsburgh’s North Side. From 1951, he manned his “Gus and Yia­­Yia’s” street cart from spring until fall, popping corn and shaving 50-pound blocks of ice to make the icon ice treats he was known for. Kalaris died...
Editorial: America is derived from the consent of the governed
In the fall of 1774, 56 men from 12 of the 13 American colonies met in Philadelphia in the First Continental Congress. It included John Adams and his cousin Samuel, Patrick Henry, John Jay and George Washington. The purpose was to decide how to proceed after Great Britain’s harsh consequences...
Editorial: South Side, crime and the difference a year makes
In 2022, crime was a problem on the South Side of Pittsburgh. People were concerned about safety. So were businesses. The Fudge Farm closed its South Side location in June 2022, with the owners saying after yet another shooting: “We can no longer ask teenage children or (anyone) for that...
Editorial: Six months is too long to wait for Hamilton’s resignation
The end of the year is too far away. Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton has had a bad year. She’s been held in contempt of court by two judges. Multiple orders have attempted to force her to do her job. There have been hearings. A conservator was...
Editorial: Was presidential debate the worst ever?
During the 2024 primary season, neither presidential candidate participated in a debate. That changed Thursday when President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and former president Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, took the podiums in an audience-free Atlanta event on CNN. For many, it was deemed a disaster. A...
Laurels & lances: Memories cherished, memories lost
Laurel: To owning a piece of history. Fundraising often includes more than a simple donation. It can be more transactional, like buying Girl Scout cookies or a fish dinner at your local fire company. The Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall found a way to make money by selling off something...
Editorial: Should police be allowed to collect DNA for anyone arrested — even if they aren’t charged with a crime?
The most basic building block of who you are is contained in your blood, your skin and the other cells of your body. Even if you don’t have your driver’s license or passport on you, the DNA coded into your body is even more precise than your fingerprints. A fingerprint...
Editorial: Juvenile detention is not a 1-time, quick fix
The picture of juvenile detention in Western Pennsylvania is changing. Allegheny County’s Shuman Juvenile Detention Center closed in September 2021 when the state pulled its license after a series of problems including a heroin overdose and other issues with unattended children. The state called out the facility for “gross incompetence,...
Editorial: What RFK Jr. really means to the Pennsylvania ballot
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed paperwork to appear on the Pennsylvania ballot as a presidential candidate. The fourth Kennedy to run for president and the first to do so as an independent, he maintains that he will win. That’s the position of any presidential candidate, no matter how long...
Editorial: Russian show trials live on with American reporter
Joseph Stalin’s infamous death camps are a thing of the past in modern Russia, but the dictator’s absurd show trials live on. Last week, Russian prosecutors announced that they had finalized “charges” against Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and will begin sham proceedings against him next week. Gershkovich has...
Editorial: Can Jill Biden help bring fellow teacher Marc Fogel home from Russia?
“Teaching is not what you do. It’s who you are.” President Joe Biden made that statement in May when addressing the Teachers of the Year dinner. The president values teachers. He champions education. He has courted the votes of teachers unions. He even married a teacher; first lady Jill Biden...
Lawmakers, leaders call for release of Marc Fogel
Marc Fogel of Oakmont has been an international teacher since he was a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In August 2021, he was arrested at the airport in Moscow for possession of 17 grams of marijuana, legally prescribed in Pennsylvania for a well-documented history of back and knee pain...
Editorial: Why is an at-home rape kit a problem?
A medical examination in the aftermath of a sexual assault is not easy. For many people, it is a second traumatic invasion. Even for those committed to working with law enforcement toward prosecution, it can be difficult to endure. There is a reason for the process, however. The examination, called...
Laurels & lances: Heat wave edition
Laurel: To beating the heat. While we might want to give a lance to the brutal temperatures, let’s stick a pin in that. Instead, we will show a little gratitude with a laurel for the many options the region offers for having a respite from the heat. We’ve got great...
Editorial: Are Philips Respironics jobs another covid casualty?
Philips Respironics is taking its manufacturing out of Murrysville and Upper Burrell. The Bakery Square workers will head to other locations by the end of the year. In a series of unkind cuts, 300 jobs will be lost, and 500 will be moved. It’s a blow. It is not, however,...
Editorial: Juneteenth is about more than the end of slavery
Juneteenth is no more a holiday just for Black people than the Fourth of July is a holiday just for white people. It recognizes and celebrates a profound milestone in American history — the declaration of freedom for an entire race of American people who had been held in bondage...
Editorial: Note to Biden on inflation: It’s the Big Macs, stupid
Democrats flummoxed over why Americans are so down on the economy should visit a McDonald’s. President Joe Biden faces many hurdles in his reelection bid. His approval numbers are historically low. His open-border policies have progressive mayors in many self-proclaimed “sanctuary cities” begging for relief. His foreign policy blunders led...
Editorial: Who bears the responsibility for defending the poor?
Being poor in Pennsylvania is not a crime. It might be enough to get you punished, though, according to a new lawsuit. The American Civil Liberties Union and private law firms filed a petition in Commonwealth Court on Thursday. The demand? They want a ruling that spells out the state’s...
Editorial: Minimum not enough for Westmoreland register of wills to keep job
Making payments in time to avoid penalties is a regular occurrence at a county courthouse. It happens when people pay taxes. It can happen when closing a deal or settling a case. Taking care of the money aspect of a legal transaction can be the final piece that cements everything....
Laurels & lances: Lessons and lead feet
Laurel: To learning from mistakes. The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg was not spared by the revelations of Pennsylvania grand jury reports on hidden child sex abuse. It paid out $4.35 million in clergy sex abuse claims. But the question arising from all these past errors is this: What would happen...
Editorial: It’s time to criminalize deepfakes
As a society, we believe that making something false and passing it off as something real is wrong. You can’t fake money. You can’t make bootleg recordings of movies or music. You can’t forge a check and cash it at a bank. You can’t paint a picture and tell someone...
Editorial: Emergency services could use a little more authority
Could the question of how to save emergency services be all about authority? Pennsylvania has issues with its first response providers. Aside from police departments having trouble filling positions, there are the struggles of fire departments and emergency medical service providers. Most Keystone State fire departments are staffed entirely or...
Editorial: Paid parental leave could make Pennsylvania competitive
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade did more than just upend reproductive health law. It also made back-burner issues take on more urgency. If limits on abortion result in more pregnancies, more policies will be required to respond to the resulting children’s needs. States will...


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