Editorials category, Page 53

There’s nothing like a disaster to show you what you have and what you need. Westmoreland County Commissioners said Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic has shown them what they don’t need: a county health department. For almost a year, the county has responded to the increasing challenges of covid-19 without...

Laurel: To a round for the house. Or the neighborhood. Or the whole darn town. While many festivals have been canceled for months or are still being put off because of the coronavirus pandemic, other communities are trying to look forward. Tarentum is one of those. A craft beer festival,...

When it comes to the Constitution, there is a lot that is spelled out — and a lot that has to be figured out along the way. That’s how judges and constitutional law professors keep their jobs. It’s also why after more than 200 years, there is still such debate...

Statues have been a sticking point in the last year or so. It seems as though almost everyone who was hero enough to have a memorial to their contributions erected in a public area was also human enough to have darker aspects that have led people to ask for them...

When can schools open up? That has been the question on everyone’s minds for months. The coronavirus pandemic shut all Pennsylvania schools in March 2020. Some reopened in the fall, but it was a very different experience than kids — or educators — usually handle while studying math or learning...

On April 30, 1789, George Washington was sworn into office as the first president of the United States. His birthday of Feb. 22 became a federal holiday that gave way to the modern Presidents Day. He had many things in common with the other 44 men whose roles we observe...

Minimum wage is a complicated issue. On one side, you have people who want to raise it. It will put more money in people’s pockets, they say. It will give the economy a jump start. It will help someone get by on one job instead of two or three. It...

People are hungry. It doesn’t seem right in a country that sends more than $140 billion in agricultural products overseas each year and is the world’s largest exporter of food, but it’s true. More than 35 million people were living with regular hunger and another 14.3 million were “food insecure”...

Laurel: To achieving goals. Anyone who reaches the rank of Eagle Scout has put in some real work and time to get to a level in Boy Scouts of America that isn’t easy to attain. Just 4% of scouts climb to that highest rung on the organizational ladder. So Elizabeth...

You know what “permanent” means, right? According to definition experts at Merriam- Webster, it means “in a way that continues without changing or ending; in a way that is not brief or temporary.” In other words, if you take a step that you call permanent, it’s something you expect to continue...

The covid-19 vaccines are the pathway to getting Pennsylvania back to what the state was in February 2020. Whether the Pfizer or Moderna or forthcoming Johnson & Johnson shot, vaccines are the way to go from a population left wide open to the coronavirus pandemic and a population prepared to...

It is an understatement to say Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus pandemic response has not been universally popular. While some point to the administration’s restrictions on gatherings, early shutdowns of businesses and schools, mask mandates and other measures as important steps to limit the spread of covid-19, there are plenty of...

The coronavirus pandemic has been the biggest story in the world for a year. But it isn’t the only story. Covid-19 is not the only thing that kills people. The problems associated with it are not the only problems affecting people’s lives. It may be the big bad wolf, but...

On Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf formally released his latest budget proposal. It was hardly a surprise. This is not the governor’s first budget, after all. In his seventh trip around this particular block, he treads on familiar territory. It pushes heavily on a central theme of increased funding for education....

If you lost your job today, how long would you be able to support yourself and your family? How long until you couldn’t make your house payment? How long until the electric bill wasn’t paid? When would you start balancing the car insurance against the homeowners insurance? And none of...

Laurel: To telling stories. Lots of kids can weave tall tales. Every parent asking about missing homework can attest to that. But Josh Ingram, 11, of Plum has really upped the game when it comes to childhood storytelling. The Holiday Park Elementary student doesn’t just tell stories. He wrote one....

The Allegheny River is more than just a long ribbon of water. It’s part of what defines Southwestern Pennsylvania. It played a role in the settlement of the area and in its growth. It gave birth to our communities and our industries. Cleaning it has been the task of generations...

Success is rarely something that happens alone. When the Steelers win a game, it’s not just because of the quarterback. When the jury returns a verdict, it’s not just because of the judge. When government makes a law, there is never just one guy who made that happen. And by...

It happens every year. All eyes turn toward a Western Pennsylvania hamlet to wait for a sleepy rodent to pop out of his burrow, look around for his shadow and make a prediction about when spring will start. Let’s be honest. No one really thinks Punxsutawney Phil — or any...

Leaving an elected office is not the end of the world. Plenty of people go on to live rich, full lives after they depart the world of public service. They might retire to concentrate on things they never got to do before, like President George W. Bush, who has embraced...

Judges and justices in Pennsylvania have never been a complicated situation. A magisterial district judge presides over a set portion of a county. The people of that set portion cast a vote for the position. A county Court of Common Pleas judge presides over a whole county. The people of...

It is important to follow the rules — especially when enforcing the rules is your job. That is why the idea of Pittsburgh police officers drinking on the job is enough to draw attention. Reports arose that a group of 17 officers who were working on election night ended up...

Laurel: To serving your neighbors. It’s hard to find people to step up when it comes to public service. Everyone wants to blame the people who make the decisions regardless of the level of government. Local leaders don’t get the same kind of paycheck that state or federal officials do....

Why isn’t there one coordinated plan to navigate the rough waters of the coronavirus pandemic? It isn’t that government doesn’t know how to work together in a disaster, pulling all hands together and tugging on the rope as one to get something done. It absolutely does. The Federal Emergency Management...

What does it mean to be eligible? It is the right to do something, the right to get something. If you are looking to fix your daughter up with the perfect guy, you are looking for the most eligible bachelor — the guy who will check all the boxes. To...