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Editorials category, Page 54

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Editorial: Facts, not fame and fortune, important in court
Does the Westmoreland County district attorney offer different deals to people with famous names or bigger bank accounts than to average Joes who end up in the criminal court system? A recent filing makes that claim. According to defense attorney Robert Domenick, DA John Peck has shown different standards with...
Editorial: Golf good for economy, but state needs to be open
There are a lot of things that Pennsylvania’s government needs to underwrite. There are more than 3,000 schools, 14 state universities and four more state-affiliated universities. There are 24 prisons, more than 4,000 state police and three levels of state courts. State agencies do everything from supervising parks and forests...
Editorial: Westmoreland Fair fun is back
Is there anything more quintessentially summer than a county fair? It’s the kind of event that brings all of those snapshot memories of summertime fun into focus. Cotton candy. Blue ribbons. Funnel cake. Carnival rides. Midway games. The Westmoreland Fair runs through Aug. 28. For the next week, dads will...
Laurels & lances: Slippery Rock, rats and guns
Laurel: To a new school. There is nothing like a global medical crisis to make everyone realize exactly how crucial careers in medicine are. Thus it isn’t surprising to see Slippery Rock University taking the opportunity to better augment the workforce needs in those areas that were increasing even before...
Editorial: Foster care makes the key difference in a kid’s life
People have certain basic needs. A roof overhead. Clothes on their bodies. Food and water to fill their stomachs. These are the things that keep us alive. There is a comprehensive word for what brings this together: “home.” It’s both a place and a state of being. And for children,...
Editorial: School mask policies should be careful and consistent
Hopscotch is a game for recess and school playgrounds. It is a fun way for kids to test balance and skill and work out some wiggles in the middle of the day. It is not, however, a great way to run public health policy during a pandemic. Yet as the...
Editorial: Shine a spotlight on hazing that harms
On Friday, former Greater Latrobe Area Junior High wrestling coach Cary Lydic was acquitted of child endangerment and failure to report abuse in suspected hazing. The verdict was issued without explanation. There was no statement to say whether Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger felt the prosecution hadn’t met...
Editorial: The silver lining of unemployment aid ending
A ventilator is the last line of defense against covid-19’s assault on victims’ lungs. But when it comes to the economic impacts that have accompanied the coronavirus pandemic, that intensive care comes in another form: unemployment compensation. Until Sept. 4. That is when half a million Pennsylvanians will lose their...
Editorial: Census numbers chance for fair redistricting
The 2020 U.S. Census results are out, and Pennsylvania did what was expected. The population nudged up a bit, about 2.4%, but not enough to balance larger growth in other states such as Florida, Arizona and Colorado. That shift in where people are choosing to live will mean Pennsylvania, ever...
Editorial: What to learn from fining students for skipping vaccine?
West Virginia was the last state where covid-19 reared its head. While Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and more had patients test positive for the disease earlier in March 2020, it wasn’t until March 17 that the Mountaineer State had a confirmed case. More than a year later, its numbers remain low,...
Laurels & lances: Emergencies and environment
Laurel: To a life-saving gift. For many emergency medical service operations, staying ahead of expenses and up-to-date on equipment can be a tricky balance. A gift from the AHN Forbes Hospital Foundation has helped make that a little easier. Seven ambulance services in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have received a...
Editorial: Harrisburg can easily clean up murky expenses
Be the change you want to see. It’s good advice — even if it is frequently misattributed to Mahatma Gandhi. The idea is that if something is worth changing, don’t wait for someone else to lead the charge. Pick up the cause and start changing it yourself. It might be...
Editorial: The scourge of fake covid vaccine cards
A new crop of businesses has been born out of the coronavirus pandemic. That’s not a surprise. We have already seen industrious entrepreneurs take up the challenge with mask-making, cleaning services, delivery driving and creating festive yard displays to take the place of birthday parties and other celebrations that weren’t...
Editorial: Tarentum’s borrowing looks like strategic investment
Tarentum Council is taking advantage of low interest rates to refinance debt and possibly borrow more money. With the interest rates at sub-basement levels, this isn’t surprising. It’s an opportunity many municipalities, school districts, counties and more doubtless will jump to pursue. Like refinancing your home loan to lower your...
Editorial: The answers the 9/11 families deserve
For most Americans, Sept. 11, 2001, is a date that calls us back to where we were at that time all those years ago. It is something we remember when the topic arises and a memory we are able to tuck away sorrowfully like a sad relic of a lost...
Editorial: Time for to push harder for vaccines in state prisons
When it comes to encouraging people to do something they may or may not want to do, there are two time-tested methods: the carrot and the stick. The covid-19 vaccine is seeing both come into play. The carrots have been everywhere for months. A vaccine card can be the way...
Editorial: When laws collide, human damage can be real
The United States of America sometimes can be a little less united than it should be — and sometimes a little too in lockstep. That is because while the federal government makes laws, so do the 50 individual states. So do municipal governments and counties. While they all have to...
Laurels & lances: Delivery, delay and health
Laurel: To a sweet birthday. While the cake is usually the centerpiece of most kids’ birthday parties, we feel confident saying that ice cream will always play a role in Emmett Hendrickson’s special day The newborn Butler Township boy came into the world on July 30 after a stop at...
Editorial: Masks on, for the common good
OK, we all know the drill. In 2020, when masks were being required by state or local orders or by businesses that were balancing safety and availability during the coronavirus pandemic, it was something new for everyone. Masks are not something that really had been an issue in the United...
Editorial: A glut of dorm rooms cries out for innovation
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is taking steps to combine several of its individual universities into multi-campus institutions, sharing resources with the idea of reducing costs amid flagging enrollment. It’s a good plan. It acknowledges some of the cost-cutting mechanisms that might happen in the business world after...
Editorial: Public input needed on Westmoreland County’s federal pandemic funding
When it comes to major expenditures by a government, the people get to have a voice in the decisions. This happens all the time as a matter of simple procedure. While the people elect leaders to make decisions on their behalf, placing the major spending questions out in the open...
Editorial: Masks in schools, an understandable mish-mash
August is here again. That means school districts are preparing to enter yet another year dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The question is just what does that mean? It is less about Zoom classes and home schooling than it was in 2020. The issue being debated is whether students will...
Editorial: John Woodruff, the Olympian from Connellsville who paved the way
The Olympics has a way of focusing attention on the newest crop of athletes at the forefront of their sports. Today’s winners are pushing the boundaries of speed and skill, advancing each event further than it had been stretched before. But it is just as important to remember that the...
Editorial: In opioid addiction battle, no room for rivalries
Pennsylvania, like the rest of the nation, has a deadly addiction problem that is getting worse. Overdose deaths rose 29.4% nationwide in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 93,331 deaths were dominated by one category of drugs. Opioids claimed 69,710 American lives. It’s the kind...
Laurels & lances: Plans, a loss and green beast
Laurel: To open doors. The Greensburg YMCA will not be closing. At least not for the next year. That promise was made Tuesday when YMCA leaders announced an 18-month plan to keep the organization alive. “We’re not looking anytime soon to lose this Y. The goal is not to close...


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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