Editorials category, Page 55
Editorial: State police shouldn’t be above scrutiny of outside investigations
The Pennsylvania State Police don’t believe they should be subject to anyone else’s interpretation of how they do their job. State Police Commissioner Robert Evanchick responded to a recommendation from the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Advisory Commission that an outside agency investigate when deaths or injuries caused by a state...
Editorial: 95% vaccinated number seems absurdly high
It is hard to get 95% of Pennsylvanians to walk in step for anything. Pennsylvania is a perennial swing state because it is a state divided on almost everything. Steelers versus Eagles. Pitt versus Penn State. Sheetz versus Wawa. And there is no deeper divide than the political. It isn’t...
Editorial: Redistricting map wasn’t court’s job, but someone had to do it
Politics once was like two people negotiating a real estate deal. The seller would present the house in its best light — baking cookies so it smelled homey, sprucing up the front porch and hiding the water damage from that leaky roof — all while asking for the highest price...
Laurels & lances: Theater, politics and resurgence
Laurel: To an encore performance. “Hamilton” has been undeniably the biggest thing to hit musical theater in years. It wasn’t just a smash on Broadway. The traveling company has been just as in demand when it visits, as it did in Pittsburgh in 2019, and again now as live theater...
Editorial: Diebold’s prison sentence is deserved
It is hard to argue that you didn’t know how to follow the law when that was how you made your living. Attorneys for Michael Diebold did just that. Luckily, it didn’t work. Armstrong County Judge James J. Panchik sentenced the former Leechburg police chief to 18 to 36 months...
Editorial: Is marijuana marketing proof it’s the next Big Pharma?
The conversation surrounding marijuana has shifted over the years. It went from being demonized for decades to being suggested as helpful in relieving symptoms of some medical conditions to being touted as all but a miracle cure. In 2016, Gov. Tom Wolf signed the law that made medical marijuana legal...
Editorial: Contractors and government both need good communication
On the surface, it’s kind of funny. Construction equipment is what people use to dig things up. It’s not supposed to be the stuff that gets sucked down into the ground. And yet there they are — two bright yellow excavators sticking out of the muddy ground along the Allegheny...
Editorial: Poor school covid testing participation subverts parent choice
Pennsylvania has more than 5,000 schools. They come in all stripes. Public and private. Charter and Catholic and cyber. They nurture and educate and safeguard millions of children across the state. So why did only 750 of those schools take advantage of the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s offer of free,...
Editorial: Westmoreland commissioners can set example with human services department
Westmoreland County commissioners are moving forward with plans to take all of the county’s various human service offices and fuse them into one department. On Thursday, they hired a consultant — Don Goughler, 76, of Harrison — to assemble the pieces and hire a director to take the reins. This...
Laurels & lances: Cupcakes, eyesores and permits
Laurel: To a sweet gesture. Businesses in competition with each other might not seem like the best sources of help in times of trouble. What is tragedy for one can be a boon for another. But when it comes to small businesses, it is always best for the community if...
Editorial: Courts and doctors must cooperate on addiction
The opioid epidemic is not like influenza or covid-19. It is a medical issue that affects the body and threatens lives. It also is a social problem that ends up in court either because of crimes or because of issues such as custody. It is rare that a case of...
Editorial: EMT training is practical solution to filling need
The first step in a medical emergency often is taken even before getting to the hospital. It can begin with an ambulance staffed by professionals trained to offer the care that will stabilize a patient until more in-depth diagnostics and treatment can be provided. It is a vital journey that...
Editorial: Online education is important part of school choice discussion
School choice is not just a political idea that scores points on one side and sparks opposition on the other. Decisions about a child’s education are never easy. They start with preschool. Do you do it at all? Do you choose a public school program if one is available? What...
Editorial: Suicide prevention programs need to utilize and support students
Suicide is an issue everyone needs to note. It’s something to understand, something to keep at bay. After several years in 10th place on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of the top causes of death in the United States, suicide was finally knocked off the podium in...
Editorial: Delayed petitions latest sign of redistricting drama
If you want a practical example of why deadlines matter, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has given it. The process of changing districts for lawmakers is not something that sneaks up on us. It’s prescribed by law. It’s enshrined in the Constitution. It is a tradition more than 200 years in...
Editorial: Bridge failures have courtroom costs
The cities and counties of Pennsylvania need to pay attention. The same goes for PennDOT, too. They need to note what happened on Friday as attorneys for a Penn Hills couple confirmed what was as sure as gravity at 6:41 a.m. Jan. 28. That was one minute after the Fern...
Laurels & lances: Victory, defeat and opportunity
Laurel: To an obvious fact. In a year that we are forced to watch the Cincinnati Bengals — the Bengals, for Pete’s sake — vie for the Lombardi Trophy on Super Bowl Sunday, it is nice to get a little bit of acknowledgement that some things are still right with...
Editorial: Addressing Pennsylvania’s unseen blight of abandoned mines
While a large part of the nation’s infrastructure — especially its older construction — involves steel that was born in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the process started earlier with another industry. None of that steel was made without coal. The steel industry is a large part of the reason that about 5,000...
Editorial: Wolf’s last budget address leans on familiar ideas
Gov. Tom Wolf has given his last budget address. In many ways, it played like a greatest hits album. His farewell concert included old standards that have defined his campaigns and budgets of the past — items like increasing the minimum wage and his signature song about increasing education funding....
Editorial: Pittsburgh City Council salary vote was poorly timed
What difference can two days make? In the great scheme of government, two days is usually not a big deal. Government generally moves at a sloth-like speed with the number of committee meetings and debates and questions and sending things back to the start before decisions are made. It’s like...
Editorial: Constables have to follow law to enforce it
Why does Westmoreland County have so much trouble with the people enforcing the rules playing by them? For years, it was the sheriff’s office that was the problem. There were times that multiple leaders in the department were charged with crimes or on suspension or both all at the same...
Editorial: Clerical error doesn’t mean PSERS has no responsibility
There’s nothing like a good scapegoat. Who wouldn’t like to be able to just put all the blame for things that go wrong on someone else? It’s a good deal if you can find one. Except that just because you blame the goat doesn’t mean you don’t have any responsibility....
Editorial: Pennsylvania bridges need regular attention
Bridges are being taken seriously right now. The collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Frick Park in Pittsburgh on Jan. 28 was one of those bellwether moments — the clanging bell that alerts everyone about impending danger. Of course, the bell clanged a little late for the people on...
Laurels & lances: Support, shutdowns and hold music
Laurel: To community coming together. When Richard McCloskey of Etna hung a swastika flag on his porch late in 2021, some people in the area were understandably upset at a symbol tied not only to the Nazis but also other hate groups. “I don’t hate nobody,” McCloskey said, claiming he...
Editorial: Journalism Competition and Preservation Act serves communities by keeping news accessible
Local news is necessary news. All news serves a purpose. National news helps us identify what is happening in our country and how it affects us and how we affect it. State news narrows that focus to the decisions being made in our capital and by our lawmakers and in...
