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Editorials category, Page 59

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Editorial: Why an excellent council member can’t be halfway there
Editorials generally applaud what’s right and denounce what’s wrong. It’s a rare that they cite people trying to do right but have to point out what they’re getting wrong. Yet here we are. Last week, Lower Burrell Councilman Robert Hamilton offered to resign from his position because of some career...
Editorial: Giving Career and Technical Education the attention it deserves
Vocational education isn’t what it used to be. For one thing, say the words “vo-tech” to someone who works or advocates in the field and you will get some serious stink eye. It’s CTE — career and technical education, thank you very much. But there are a lot of other...
Editorial: Swatting back the scam artists that flock to a crisis
Never let a good crisis go to waste. It’s much more than a paraphrase of Rahm Emanuel as Obama White House chief of staff, or an oft-attributed aphorism of Sir Winston Churchill. It’s more like a political law of nature. Whole wedges of government have been created to address a...
Editorial: Pa. State System takes right step to curbing crazy tuition rates
There is a lot of talk about how to handle student loan debt. There are the loans the students take out. There are the loans the parents take out to help. The Federal Reserve estimates Americans have about $1.7 trillion in student loan debt. Student loans are an overwhelming burden...
Laurels & lances: Efficient vaccine clinics and not-transparent leasing
Laurel: To a well-oiled machine. When it comes to large gatherings of people for a specific purpose, sometimes the operation can function perfectly. Sometimes it turns into chaos. Anyone who has tried to get out of a parking lot after a big concert can attest to best laid plans going...
Editorial: Pandemic rent relief is welcome, but a band-aid
Fixing the coronavirus pandemic might start with a covid-19 vaccine, but the shot isn’t a light switch that turns back the dark with a flick. By the same token, the progress toward correcting the economic impact of the pandemic isn’t going to respond to the push of a button either....
Editorial: The vaccine process depends on maintaining public trust
On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the investigation of six reports of blood clots in women who had been administered the Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccine. This isn’t a reason to be alarmed so much as proof that the system...
Editorial: The region’s airports could fare well as post-pandemic air travel rises
Air travel is getting off the ground again. A year of coronavirus pandemic restrictions and precautions made airports into ghost towns. The 777.9 million people annually who had been taking off their shoes and separating their laptops from their carry-ons at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints slowed to a trickle. On...
Editorial: The baffling delay in fixing the state’s unemployment system
In 2020, Pennsylvania — like the rest of the country — experienced an employment crisis. When the coronavirus pandemic hit and many businesses shut down or scaled back operations to comply with mandated restrictions, jobs were the first casualty. By May, about 2 million Pennsylvanians were out of work. By...
Editorial: As solemn task of redistricting begins, Harrisburg flashes rare bipartisan signal
The partisan stew that is Harrisburg has made Pennsylvanians expect everything to be painted in shades of red and blue. Budget battles that erupt into screaming matches and government ground to a halt. Emergency gubernatorial declarations that result in lengthy back-and-forth court appearances. Even a simple swearing-in of a longtime...
Editorial: Keeping a community intact when ‘gentrification’ beckons
Pennsylvania is a state that struggles with blight. From city neighborhoods to small towns, the falling population and the changing manufacturing landscape have created communities where closed businesses and smaller tax bases have started a downward spiral in areas that are sometimes euphemistically called “once proud.” That’s a term that...
Laurels & lances: Art, justice and Peyton Manning
Laurel: To artistic expression. Public displays of creativity are nothing new. They were statues in ancient Greece and frescoes on the walls of medieval Europe. But art that doesn’t just decorate the community but represents it might be even more valuable. On Sunday, a new mural will be dedicated in...
Editorial: The ever-present duty to remember the Holocaust
The word holocaust has been part of our language for centuries. It is a great sacrifice, a massive destruction — especially that which has been completely consumed by fire. That made it the perfect word to explain the immense loss that the Jewish people experienced between 1941 and 1945. Under...
Editorial: A mental health clinic has to go somewhere
In a perfect world, our homes would have picket fences and pristine lawns. They would be in safe residential neighborhoods but just a short sidewalked stroll from a grocery store, a library and a good school. A garbage dump wouldn’t be anywhere near, nor would train tracks or the airport....
Editorial: Support your local restaurant — by following the rules
Eating in a restaurant can be a celebration. It can be a relief for an exhausted mom who has just done too much to think about cooking or washing dishes. It can just be a way to share a moment of friendship and relaxation while you share a pizza and...
Editorial: A narrow law against spitting is not the remedy
You don’t need to spell everything out. Just because a law doesn’t specifically mention a given act doesn’t mean there is a loophole that makes it legal. Coerce someone into giving you their Bitcoin and you will face charges of theft or fraud. The fact Pennsylvania criminal statutes predate cryptocurrency...
Editorial: Following the local money of the American Rescue Plan
Imagine someone has left you some money. It’s a good chunk of change — maybe even 60% of your annual salary. But it comes with strings. You can’t use it to pay your bills and you can’t stick it in your savings account. Your dear departed uncle wanted you to...
Editorial: At Easter 2021, the rays of hope are bright
Easter is a celebration of resurrection. It is about the restoration of life, rising back from the dead. But resurrection isn’t just about the miracle of the holiday. It is also about bringing something back in other ways. A lost art can be reclaimed. A lost manuscript can be discovered...
Laurels & lances: Building and rebuilding
Laurel: To a timely restoration. Spring is the season of rebirth. Easter is a holiday of resurrection. That makes this the perfect time to announce a construction project. In 2018, St. Mary of Czestochowa in New Kensington celebrated 125 years of worship and fellowship in the largely Polish parish. It...
Editorial: Sensible infrastructure investment can bring the nation together
Infrastructure is a crutch. A crutch can be something helpful — the sturdy tool you lean on to steady yourself when you need help getting to your feet. A crutch can also be a detriment — the tether that keeps you from standing on your own. Politically, there may be...
Editorial: Public school pension headaches on horizon?
If you get — or will get — a pension, it is something to count on. It trades today’s loyalty for tomorrow’s stability in retirement. If you don’t get a pension — and that’s most of us, in the era of the 401(k) — your association with them might only...
Editorial: Covid testing in jail is better late than never
Allegheny County Jail is making a smart move. Starting April 12, any newly incarcerated individuals will be tested for covid-19. A negative test will be required before being placed in general population. Refusing a test will mean quarantine. It’s a move that seems obvious. People have been tested before they...
Editorial: A death in county prison is public information, in real time
Government often seems to have the same attitude toward transparency that children do toward report cards. When a kid gets a good grade, it is turned over promptly and with lots of fanfare. Look how good this is! Look at my gold star! Can I have cookie? When a kid...
Editorial: 1 million covid cases, and a path forward
One million. It is the kind of number that we think we can understand because it is thrown about with such abandon. The price of a big house. A mere sliver of a school building project. The top prize on a really good lottery ticket. But it’s a huge number...
Editorial: A third path to let abuse victims seek justice
Pennsylvania has been increasingly involved in the ugly issue of child sex abuse since the 2011 charges against retired Penn State football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky were unveiled. That prompted a number of reforms to the way reports were handled and clearances were issued. Multiple rounds of grand jury cases...


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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