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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Editorial: Why appoint a public information officer?
A public information officer seems like a good idea. The idea is a designated person is the spokesperson for a government entity or other agency. The name sounds like someone whose job is providing information, so it can be frustrating when the reality proves to be different. In 2019, the...
Editorial: ‘Boy in the Box’ shows scope of DNA testing
There is an idea in criminal investigation called Locard’s principle. It is the idea that no two things come in contact with each other without leaving something behind. You see it in car crashes when the paint from one fender ends up on another vehicle’s bumper. It is found when...
Editorial: College books required for college classes
Over the past two years, protests at schools have been on the rise. Aside from the push and pull about pandemic protocols, there also have been vocal demands about the content of curriculum and what is on the shelves of the libraries. Pennsylvania, in particular, has been a main battleground...
Laurels & lances: Blight, gas and RSV
Laurel: To a little housekeeping. Westmoreland County has made tackling blight a priority. County commissioners put their stamp of approval on that idea when they carved off $10.4 million of the county’s American Rescue Plan money to dedicate toward mitigation efforts. That got started this week with the demolition of...
Editorial: Voters control the Pa. House, not the parties
Want to know who is in charge of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives? Join the club. The general election in November gave the Keystone State a razor-thin division in the House. After 12 years of undisputed Republican control, it flipped on the strength of a few districts in the greater...
Editorial: Community makes difference when Grinches strike Toys for Tots
It is probably pointless to expect decency or shame from a thief. With that in mind, it is unlikely that whoever is behind the theft of 20 bikes from the Allegheny Valley Marine Corps Toys for Tots chapter feels bad about it. No, they don’t care about the kid whose...
Editorial: Arrest promises justice may finally arrive for Pan Am bombing
Justice can appear in many forms. It can come swiftly. It can be sporadic. It might be measured or thorough or haphazard. It might come hand in hand with rage or sorrow, or it might be businesslike and perfunctory. But what is important is that justice shows up, however it...
Editorial: Pa. should require media literacy instruction in school
Millions of Americans now turn to social media for news, at least sometimes, and it’s clear that much of the “news” they consume is not journalism. Misinformation is endemic to social media platforms, and, in some cases, so is deliberate disinformation and propaganda masquerading as news. The results are profound...
Editorial: What does Sinema’s switch mean for Pennsylvanians?
On Friday, U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona woke up the political world with an announcement. She changed her party affiliation, dropping the Democratic ties that swept her into office in 2018’s wave of newly elected women and opting to become an independent instead, saying it was more in keeping...
Editorial: Say Marc Fogel’s name and bring him home from Russia, Mr. President
What about Marc Fogel? The return of WNBA star Brittney Griner to the United States after being freed from a Russian penal colony is gathering much attention, just like her arrest for possession of a cannabis oil vape cartridge and the 10 months of State Department haggling over her release....
Laurels & lances: Fires, colds and blood
Laurel: To rising from the ashes. St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Arnold was decimated by fire Dec. 4, 2021. The 74-year-old building endured more than $4 million in damage. It is the kind of event that could kill a parish. In truth, many a house of worship has been...
Editorial: Financial literacy is key to student debt crisis
The student debt crisis illustrates the fact that two things can be true at the same time. Yes, personal responsibility for financial decisions is critically important. But it is just as true that the cost of a college education has escalated in a way that is unreasonable and untenable. Questions...
Editorial: Do Real ID deadlines really matter?
In a move that should surprise no one, the government has once again called a timeout on requirements for Real ID. On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security pushed back the deadline for getting the enhanced identification cards needed for getting on a plane or gaining access to a federal...
Editorial: Another child shot dead in Pittsburgh is too many
Sometimes being right is a terrible thing. In June, the Tribune-Review presented an editorial headlined “De’Avry Thomas won’t be the last victim.” That came after the death of an 18-month-old boy who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Downtown Pittsburgh while in a car with his mother. Indeed, that...
Editorial: Senate should follow House, end luxury car leases
A former state representative once joked that he wisely kept his sparkling new state-leased vehicle out of sight in his home garage when he was in the district and drove around town in an old beater to remind his constituents that he was a man of the people. Like everyone...
Editorial: Creative solutions needed for homeless crisis
According to the Department of Community and Economic Development, there are about 15,000 Pennsylvanians who don’t have a home on any given day. They might be the stereotypical homeless — people making do on the streets of a city like Pittsburgh. They might be the people you would never know...
Editorial: Legacy of CHIP is more than medical
Pennsylvania’s Child Health Insurance Program is now 30 years old. Since 1992, it has been a pathway to healthy lives for children in the Keystone State and a guardrail protecting families. It was a model for the national CHIP program that did the same for kids and parents in other...
Laurels & lances: Bridges and brick walls
Laurel: To an end in sight. The year started with a bang — literally. It was Jan. 28, and the president was on his way to talk about infrastructure when a very public example of why it was important occurred in Pittsburgh. The Fern Hollow Bridge in Frick Park collapsed,...
Editorial: Corrections officers are key to a successful jail
The most important part of a corrections operation is not the bars. A jail is not a cage. It isn’t a place where people are chucked in and the door is locked behind them like some medieval dungeon. At least, it’s not supposed to be. No, the word “corrections” implies...
Editorial: Challenges and certification part of election process
The votes are in — officially. The day we cast our votes is the start of a process that isn’t completed for weeks. Starting in October, Pennsylvanians started voting by mail. Ballots were cast in person Nov. 9. While we knew who the projected winners for some races were within...
Editorial: Hospital expansions, costs need checks for patients
The number of names in the hospital game is shrinking, even in a state abundant with facilities. Large hospitals buy smaller ones to create health systems. Health systems merge to create regional or statewide networks. On top of that, the building of more facilities happens steadily. More beds, more services,...
Editorial: More work needed on mental health capacity to stand trial
Sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t fix the problem. In September, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court looked at the case of a mentally ill man convicted of a crime who was charged with another crime while in state prison. A judge found the man’s profound mental illness meant that, under a...
Editorial: Automatic state pay increases aren’t fair to the people
Asking for a raise isn’t easy. Well, asking for one might be, but actually getting one is different. For many, it involves sitting down with your boss and justifying not only the job you are doing but also its increased value over what you are being paid. Maybe it happens...
Editorial: Small businesses are the backbone of economy
Black Friday started its less-than-subtle expansion by creeping forward hour by hour into Thanksgiving, until one could rush through a Thanksgiving lunch to go line up for pre-Christmas deals. While there was pushback from some against cutting into the national holiday, that didn’t mean people objected to expanding access to...
Laurels & lances: Tuition, decisions and rewards
Laurel: To a real deal. While the White House and the courts work out the feasibility of student loan forgiveness, the cost of a college education isn’t getting any smaller. At least, it’s not at most institutions. At Washington & Jefferson College, that’s not the case. The Washington County school...


Editor's Picks

Front Porch Theatricals’ musical ‘Baby’ is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
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