Letter to the editor: Red-light grants should not be accepted
Regarding the article “School crossing signs, zone signals in McCandless area to be replaced, upgraded” (Feb. 28, TribLive): The first problem is that the story seemed to say that red-light cameras are being installed in multiple locations, which is not correct. These are merely grants for safety improvements. Secondly, the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Have faith, America
One local story last week — the announcement of the closing of Madonna del Castello Catholic Church just outside of Pittsburgh — is a reminder that while church attendance may not be what it once was, faith plays an incredibly important role in our communities. Madonna del Castello Church is...
Jim Nowlan: Stop the world, I want to step off
At 84, I am an analog guy in a digital world. Sure, I do Zoom meetings and check my smartphone too often. Yet my mental health suffers, I swear, from the almost vertical rate of societal change; political mayhem; transition from a human- to digital-dominated world; and the sense that...
Counterpoint: Make year-long standard time the nationwide standard again
I’m one of the many Americans who hate being forced to time-shift twice a year. After only four months on standard time, daylight saving time returns with a vengeance on Sunday, March 8, when 2 a.m. abruptly becomes 3 a.m. Only residents of Arizona (with the exception of those living...
Point: Time changes have advantages year-round
America’s current daylight saving time system — spring-to-fall DST followed by winter standard time — is an excellent compromise, providing all of DST’s many benefits for the majority of the year and yet avoiding winter DST’s difficulties during the dark, cold months. Evaluating DST is more complex than it might...
Letter to the editor: Why do millions want to come to U.S.?
The letter “Finland, Norway more attractive than U.S.” (Feb. 25, TribLive) has the tone of someone thinking they’d be better off living in Finland or Norway. If that’s truly how you feel, maybe start a GoFundMe account and have your socialist friends and family donate so you can afford to...
Letter to the editor: Bondi’s priorities
I don’t know about anyone else, but I was both embarrassed and shocked by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s congressional hearing. It seems not only does she want us to forget all about the Epstein files and the surviving victims, she thinks we should instead express deep gratitude the stock market...
Editorial: Hatred finds a microphone
Three things collided in Pittsburgh this week: hatred, technology and infrastructure. The result was antisemitic threats against Mayor Corey O’Connor broadcast over a public safety radio channel used by police and emergency responders. O’Connor comes from a diverse background. His late father was Catholic, his late mother Jewish. He has...
Letter to the editor: Hockey culture vs. football culture
How incredible and refreshing it was to witness athletic greatness (unmatched physical and cognitive supremacy) as displayed by the United States’ women’s and men’s recent gold medal-winning teams in ice hockey at the 2026 winter Olympics. With class and dignity, these physically and cognitively superior athletes made America proud. It...
Cal Thomas: The Clintons, at it again
How much faith should one put in the veracity of Bill Clinton when he testified last week in a deposition that he did “nothing wrong” in his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein? I guess it depends on the meaning of “nothing” and “wrong.” How much faith should one...
S.E. Cupp: Republican scheming backfires in Texas election
On Sept. 9, 2025, a little-known 36-year-old former middle school teacher and seminarian named James Talarico announced he was jumping into a crowded Texas Senate race, joining several other Democrats vying for GOP Sen. John Cornyn’s seat. He’d first made news by flipping a Trump-leaning state legislative district in 2018...
Joyce M. Davis: Iran’s martyrdom culture means this war could be America’s bloodiest yet
Few places on earth so revere martyrdom as Iran. I came to that conclusion during a visit to the country in 2002, not long after the Sept. 11 attack on the United States. In my book, “Martyrs: Innocence, Vengeance and Despair in the Middle East,” I open the chapter on...
Letter to the editor: Character development starts at home
Regarding the letter “Cellphones should be allowed in schools” (Feb. 21, TribLive): Schools should not be expected to develop citizens of good character, although they can certainly contribute to a student’s character. This primarily should be taught at home together with following rules and becoming responsible adults. Monica Yuhas Smock...
Lori Falce: Who really picks a party’s nominee?
A primary is different from a general election. It is the earlier opportunity for registered members of a party to have their say in who will represent them on the ticket in November. Primaries, given that they are between fellow Democrats or Republicans, should be more collegial. They should be...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s motives
Did anyone seriously wonder whether President Trump would attack Iran? Likewise, does anyone think it was a coincidence that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Feb. 11? On Feb. 19, a Washington-based investigative outlet revealed that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan apartment had an elaborate Israeli government-installed...
Laurels & lances: Raptors & rodents
Laurel: To flying high. The Tarentum Bridge carries about 36,000 vehicles a day across the Allegheny River. Soon it will also carry the weight of a $97.5 million rehabilitation project. But before construction begins in 2027, planners are making sure another set of residents is considered: the peregrine falcons nesting...
Letter to the editor: Democrats’ behavior reaches new low
In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump stated the first duty of members of Congress is the protection of the American people, as compared to protecting illegal immigrants. He asked them to stand if they agreed. Every Republican stood up. Every Democrat remained seated. About half the...
Robert T. Smith: Our planet’s doom is not so imminent
As the means of communicating its administration of the nation’s environmental laws to the public, on Feb. 18, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Final Rule in the Federal Register stating that the prior action by the EPA regarding the control of greenhouse gases, called the Endangerment Finding,...
Justin Callais and Clay Routledge: The economic common ground America isn’t talking about
These days, it can feel like Americans across the political divide cannot agree on much of anything. But there is encouraging news: When it comes to the economic foundations of human progress and flourishing, we are not as divided as we might think. Political polarization has become a defining feature...
Jonah Goldberg: Trump needs to get ready for the blowback
It is a special kind of folly to make long-term predictions amid the fog of war. Nobody knows how Operation Epic Fury will end. But there are already a few things we can celebrate and condemn. On the celebration side: The professionalism and courage of the American military stand out....
Letter to the editor: What is wrong with the Democrats?
During the State of the Union address, President Trump asked members of Congress to stand if they agreed with this statement: “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” Not one Democrat stood up in support. What is wrong with the Democrats? They...
Letter to the editor: Shame on those who voted for shutdown
To all in Congress who voted to shut down the government again: How dare you. You put many families in economic peril without giving a thought to their distress. Then like cowards some of you went overseas for days, I assume so your constituents could not contact you. I saw...
Editorial: How did Pittsburgh Regional Transit calculate CEO’s bonus?
On Friday, the board of Pittsburgh Regional Transit unanimously approved a $55,000 bonus for CEO Katharine Kelleman. The issue is not that the transportation authority came off a financially difficult year. It is not that $55,000 is a lot of money when the organization had to use $100 million in...
Letter to the editor: Congress must stop Trump
I have questions: Shall we celebrate with a monthly “military operation” on a weakened sovereign state? Shall we continue to indulge the senseless whims of a man-child who distracts us from hideous crimes of an amoral lifetime committed to self-enrichment and self-indulgence? What of his noble demand for “regime change”?...
Panini Chowdhury: Allegheny County needs regional approach to mobility
Every weekday morning, thousands of Pittsburghers board a bus to get to work or school. That bus is operated by Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT). It travels along a street paved and maintained by the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility & Infrastructure. It often crosses a bridge maintained by the...
