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Editorials category, Page 22

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Editorial: Honored police dog is example of hard working breeds
There are certain things that are a part of the pop culture fabric of Thanksgiving. Keep an eye out for local marching bands in the Macy’s parade. Cheer for football — even if we don’t care about Detroit or Green Bay, Washington or Dallas, San Francisco or Seattle. Hold that...
Editorial: In Allegheny County, party politics is more complicated than it seems
It might seem like politics is utterly binary. It is black and white — or more aptly, Democratic blue and Republican red. The increasingly ugly and polarized divides at every level of government bear that out. People bracing themselves for uncomfortable conversations with relatives on Thanksgiving is another measure. But...
Editorial: The Kiski School is latest to struggle with coeducation
Coeducational learning has a complicated history in America, and it always has. Harvard opened its doors in 1636. It went without saying that this classically English college, intended to educate Puritan ministers, was focused solely on teaching men. The University of Pennsylvania was the first college in the Keystone State....
Editorial: More disclosure from Pitt, Penn State is progress
Pennsylvania residents should expect a certain degree of openness from the institutions that serve them. Lawmakers should not just debate legislation openly, but they also should be crystal clear about the funding that keeps them in office. Counties and municipalities should govern in the light of day. School district decisions...
Laurels & lances: Shelter and support
Laurel: To having a plan. It was almost a year ago that the Second Avenue Commons shelter opened in Pittsburgh, providing an option for homeless residents to stay warm and protected from the elements. Within days, Allegheny County announced the facility had hit capacity. The obvious need made it concerning...
Editorial: Could pension increase prompt a new pension crisis for Pennsylvania?
Pensions for state employees and teachers have been a wrench in the gears of Pennsylvania government for decades. In 2001, Gov. Tom Ridge signed a law that expanded pensions for those employees by 25% — and even more for state lawmakers. He was thrilled to do it, saying it was...
Editorial: Why say intimate partner violence?
Sometimes the names of things have to change because they just don’t fit the information anymore. The term “shell shock” was created during World War I to explain the symptoms of soldiers suffering from a constellation of symptoms suffered in the wake of battle. As more became known about the...
Editorial: Joe Manchin’s decision could mean more political ads in Pennsylvania
It is exhausting to be politically important. Pennsylvanians have barely recovered from the 2022 U.S. Senate campaign between then-Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on the Democratic side and Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz. That was followed by Fetterman’s post-inaugural hospitalization for depression. Then there was the controversy over his penchant for...
Editorial: Major’s bill isn’t ‘see you later, alligator’
State Rep. Abby Major isn’t looking to make exotic pets illegal in Pennsylvania. She knows people like their boa constrictors and tarantulas and potentially enormous reptiles. But the 60th District legislator would like to enforce a little more responsibility. She has introduced legislation to make the law have a little...
Editorial: It’s time to figure out marijuana in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanians can use marijuana for anxiety or epilepsy. They can use it to ease the side effects of chemotherapy or the symptoms of post-traumatic stress. There are 23 different medical conditions that will qualify someone for a card allowing them to access medical marijuana. There is one reason that is...
Editorial: Older veterans need more support
Like Pennsylvania’s population overall, the veteran population is aging. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 37.1% of veterans are senior citizens. The largest group at 41.2% is those aged 45 to 64, meaning those approaching or planning for retirement. Only 21% are under age 45. That means more...
Laurels & lances: Election edition
Laurel: To doing your duty. Off-year elections are often sluggish things with little interest or involvement, but not this time. On Tuesday, voters stepped up and did their part. They made choices and cast ballots in ways that had real impact statewide, in both Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, in school...
Editorial: Pennsylvania teachers should be able to wear their faith
For 74 years, Pennsylvania public school teachers could be penalized for wearing a cross or a crucifix, a Star of David or a crescent moon hanging from a necklace. There could be no symbols for any religion on clothing or jewelry because of a law passed in 1949. That will...
Editorial: John Fetterman, Summer Lee and the Israel-Hamas war
You might not think a war almost 6,000 miles away could have much of an effect on politicians in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Then again, politics is stitched into the fabric of everything these days. You cannot drink a beer, read a book or watch a football game without making a partisan...
Editorial: It’s your turn, voters
OK, we did our part. We covered the issues in the Allegheny County executive race as it will hand off to the first new person in 12 years. We have been there for the developments in the Westmoreland County commissioners’ offices as one commissioner stepped down, one of the challenging...
Editorial: The Frick makes right call rescheduling Islamic art exhibition
Exposure to other cultures is the best way to bring down the walls between them. Particularly when things are tense, learning more about the people around us can be the best bridge to peace. Being afraid of that exposure just encourages a sense of foreignness — an idea of us...
Editorial: Is Shapiro’s voluntary agreement with CNX the right move for gas well safety?
We do not trust foxes to guard henhouses. That makes sense. Foxes have a vested interest in chicken coops being as unsecured as possible. A few missing birds may occur under the best circumstances, but if the foxes are in charge, who protects the chickens from the guards? Is Pennsylvania...
Editorial: Independence has rose-colored glasses for Excela’s red-ink report
The idea was to save money while still doing the job. That was what then-Excela Health CEO John Sphon, now retired, said in June 2022 when the Greensburg-based hospital network and Butler Health System announced their merger. “We believe strongly that our new partnership will extend our intellectual and financial...
Laurels & lances: Giving back & letting go
Laurel: To a spirit of giving. Now that the Halloween candy has been eaten — what, you still have some left? — and the plastic skeletons put away, many people are turning their thoughts to the season of holidays that march from now until Jan. 1. One part of those...
Editorial: We must get the Americans out of Gaza
It’s a fundamental responsibility of government to come to the aid of American citizens in peril overseas. That’s why the U.S. traded the release from prison of the notorious Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer, for the release from Russia of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, who then revised her...
Editorial: Better support for moms helps babies
A baby is a reason to celebrate. From the moment a couple gets the good news, it can be all about looking forward to the happy event. Creative pregnancy announcements. Gender reveal parties. Showers and ultrasounds and names. But not every pregnancy ends in that kind of joy. While much...
Editorial: Rating system needs work, but so do nursing homes
“Better than nothing.” That’s the sort of halfhearted review you expect to see on an unimpressive restaurant or a serviceable but underwhelming hotel. It speaks of an experience that is, at best, the bare minimum but quite possibly far less. It is an option of last resort — the best...
Editorial: Meta lawsuit is only part of necessary actions on social media
The words “world wide web” were first used in 1989 to described the way data could be not only shared but also woven from one user to another. It was about computers being the loom that created an orderly process of connections. Perhaps the name should have been saved. It...
Editorial: Should Pennsylvania require schools to have armed security?
Whether we are talking about individual incidents or the attacks with high casualty numbers like those in Uvalde, Texas, or Newtown, Conn., everyone agrees that children should be safe at school. They just don’t agree on how to make that happen. Some want more gun control. Some want more mental...
Editorial: Is a coed Kiski School really that awful?
In fall 2024, The Kiski School will be welcoming girls. But will it really? The school administration announced the move this month, with Head of School Christopher Brueningsen saying “maintaining enrollment has been challenging.” It’s not just a Kiski problem. It’s an issue in single-sex boarding schools in general, which...


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