Opinion category, Page 236
Letter to the editor: Girardi has integrity needed for district judge
In judicial races, it’s common to hear buzzwords like “fair,” “neutral” or “impartial.” While a candidate may use these words, too often the same candidate will take campaign funds from special interest groups or from those with commercial interests in district court, pay to receive political endorsements or seek the...
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...
Letter to the editor: Klingensmith’s experience makes him best pick for judge
In response to the letter “Petrush qualified to be judge” (Oct. 18, TribLIVE): I agree that being qualified matters greatly for a magisterial district judge. The writer mentioned not seeing Judith Petrush’s opponent, Robert Klingensmith, in the courts in Greensburg. If he had looked beyond the courts in Greensburg, he’d...
Letter to the editor: Petrush has professionalism needed to be judge
Nearly 25 years ago, I crossed party lines to vote for Charley Conway as magisterial district judge in District Court 10-3-02 because his character, community involvement, and practice and knowledge of the law made him the best candidate. Our community now has the responsibility to choose a new district judge...
S.E. Cupp: The far left has a serious antisemitism problem
The headlines paint a troubling picture. “Liberals Need a Reckoning With Antisemitism.” “How the Democrats betrayed the Jews.” “The Left Faces a Reckoning as Israel Divides Democrats.” The conflict between Israel and Hamas, a terrorist group that barbarically murdered 1,400 innocent civilians in a surprise and coordinated attack on Israel,...
Nick Hayes: College students, be smart on Halloween
Many universities and college campuses maintain unique, decades-long Halloween traditions. While most emphasize inclusion, engagement and creativity, others can promote excessive partying, heavy drinking and drug use. As communities gear up for the holiday season, it’s a good time to begin knowing the risks associated with heavy drinking and recreational...
Letter to the editor: Why is UPMC not changing colors on its sign?
The UPMC sign at the top of the U.S. Steel Tower in downtown Pittsburgh does not seem to be participating in the colors of the evening skylights with the other buildings in downtown Pittsburgh. Past colors of the UPMC sign have been red, white and blue, and pink, but the...
Letter to the editor: Girardi well qualified to be judge
Twenty-one years of experience as a district court clerk and working for an experienced judge has provided me with insight that a judge must be fair, impartial, unbiased and uncompromised by endorsements that may lead to favoritism. There are no negotiations on the bench. The judge is required to make...
Lori Falce: Lighting candles for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
I am known among my friends for my common response to times of pain and trouble. I will cry with them. I will hold their hands and hug them close. But, more than anything, as my friends are scattered across the map, I light candles. As the product of a...
Laurels & lances: Cold cases and bag bans
Laurel: To pursuit of truth. Sometimes what you need to find the answer is a new pair of eyes. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is putting some cold cases in front of at least 23 pairs of eyes. On Tuesday, Ziccarelli announced the impaneling of an investigative grand jury,...
Letter to the editor: Jail needs new model of leadership
Based upon two Allegheny County Jail job satisfaction surveys of correctional officers and health care staff, Warden Orlando Harper, who retired in September, and Dr. Ashley Brinkman, ACJ’s health services administrator who resigned earlier this month, both used the position leadership model, which basically is, “I am in charge; you...
Paul Kengor: What Gaza could be
Be prepared for bloody scenes to come in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli forces ready for a land invasion and as Hamas readies to mercilessly exploit hostages. It will be ugly. A tragedy of Hamas’ rule of the Gaza Strip isn’t merely what you’ve seen on TV this October. Since...
Colin McNickle: Weak jobs & PIT numbers go hand in hand
Despite glowing reports touting increased international passenger counts (even though they remain a shadow of past performance), overall passenger numbers at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) remain weak. And weak local jobs numbers appear to be playing a role in that deficit, new research from the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy...
Letter to the editor: Peck Yakopec a judge for the people
I am sharing my story because I want people to know what a good judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec is. My daughter had several traffic tickets in high school. She was running with the wrong crowd, and I wanted her to better herself by joining the Army. She couldn’t enlist until...
Letter to the editor: Zellers best pick for judge
Voters for magisterial district judge in District 10-1-04 have a simple decision to make. A vote for Leslie Uncapher Zellers is a vote for fairness, community service and family. Tough on crime, but fair and understanding, she’s experienced courtrooms many ways, most importantly, court-appointed to protect kids. As assistant district...
Editorial: Are later school start times really what’s best?
State Rep. Jill Cooper wants to introduce legislation that would set a minimum start time for Pennsylvania schools. The idea is grounded in science. There is plenty of research that advocates for more sleep for children, particularly high school students. “There is a consensus in the medical community that a...
Letter to the editor: Seek out truth about Israel
On Oct. 7 the world witnessed the most barbaric attack since the Holocaust on the Jewish state of Israel. Unthinkable acts of horror were unleashed on a country simply because it existed. Infants were beheaded and killed in front of their mothers, families were killed in their beds, young women...
Jonah Goldberg: House Republicans need a sudden onset of political maturity. What are the chances?
Israeli diplomat Abba Eban famously said that the Palestinians “never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Watching events in the Middle East over the last two weeks, that quote might seem newly relevant. But it seems even more fitting for the House GOP. At a time of international and...
Cal Thomas: What’s needed is renovation
Some popular shows on PBS and cable TV are about renovating old houses - taking dilapidated, out-of-fashion and dreary houses and turning them into modern, functioning, and attractive places in which to live. Renovation is precisely what is needed in our country whose national debt, open borders and as we’ve...
Peter Morici: Fiction writers demanding money from AI chatbots are lost in fantasy
Fiction writers are in an uproar that artificial intelligence will intensify competition. They want large-language models to either stop training on their literature or to be paid royalties. Like the Luddites weavers in the 18th century, who broke into factories to smash textile looms, these writers want special status to...
Letter to the editor: Biden better than Trump
To answer the letter “Happy with Biden?” (Oct. 12, TribLIVE): Yes, very much, compared to Donald Trump. Those of us who voted for President Biden believe in democracy and the Constitution, two institutions that wannabe dictator Trump attempted to overthrow. The writer can come up with all the Fox News...
Letter to the editor: Government leaders live in alternate universe
If people don’t think our government lives in one of Stephen Hawking’s alternate universes, take a look at the headline “3.2% hike in Social Security benefits fails to keep up with rising costs, Western Pa. seniors say” (Oct. 13, TribLIVE). This just screams that we live in a brainwashed America....
Letter to the editor: Zellers deserves vote for district judge
As a retired chief of police for the city of Lower Burrell, I, along with the members of the Allegheny Valley Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 39 and the Pennsylvania State Police Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 62, ask that you support attorney Leslie Uncapher Zellers for magisterial district judge...
Editorial: Get the info you need to make good voting choices
Pennsylvanians are in the prime political endorsement window for the general election. With the polls opening Nov. 7 and so many mail-in voters already considering their ballots, many organizations and news agencies are taking this time to put a stamp of approval on a particular candidate in this race or...
Letter to the editor: Girardi best choice for district judge
We are voting for Michael Girardi for district judge. Criminal activity has greatly increased over the past 20 years, so we need someone who knows, understands and can interpret the law on a day-to-day basis from the onset. The law has changed over the years and continues to do so;...
