Featured Commentary category, Page 33

Traffic has been severed in both directions on one of America’s busiest and most economically important thoroughfares. It will be months before I-95 is back to normal in the Philadelphia area, after a truck carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline crashed into a wall and burst into flames June 12....

Gov. Josh Shapiro recently signed an executive order laying the groundwork for creating a Pennsylvania Master Plan for Older Adults. The master plan will serve as a roadmap to building and maintaining a commonwealth where every resident can live and thrive at any age. AARP and the Department of Aging...

All Pennsylvanians have the right to clean water. But there is a plastics problem in our rivers, and nobody has been willing to address it properly. We know who is currently causing the problem, and we know how to fix it. And, there is precedent to take action — watershed...

A police officer arrives at the scene of a robbery and disarms the culprit before anyone is injured. A firefighter rushes into a burning building — not thinking about their own safety — and saves a child. An EMT arrives at the scene of a crash, treats anyone who’s injured...

Mayella Ewell is one of the most complex characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” She is a white woman who makes sexual advances toward her Black neighbor, Tom Robinson. When he refuses, she falsely accuses him of rape. During Tom’s trial, we learn that Mayella’s father is a drunkard who...

For Americans growing up between the 1950s and the ’80s, religion was a predictable presence on television: There were weekly Sunday morning shows and religious programming that issued end-time warnings, sought monetary contributions or staged faith healings. But none of those covered news. Pat Robertson, who died June 8, changed...

Recently we paused to observe Memorial Day and recognize those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our flag and nation. These heroes brought us our glorious back-to-back World War victories. Many others fought in wars (conflicts, conflagrations, etc.) not officially declared or fully supported by a government that put...

Since 1753, when a young British major named George Washington recognized that the land at the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers was “extremely well situated for a fort,” our “Golden Triangle” of a Downtown has been recognized as a special place. This little patch of land, a little less than...

When Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on June 13 to federal criminal charges related to his alleged illegal retention of classified documents, it was his first opportunity to formally answer charges that he violated the Espionage Act. The Justice Department alleges that, after his presidency, Trump held, in an unsecure...

It’s been 60 years since six local school districts asked the University of Pittsburgh to establish a regional campus in Westmoreland County, and look how far we’ve come. Today, the University of Pittsburgh at Greenburg proudly continues our mission to serve the educational needs of the region — two-thirds of...

On June 1, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Glacier Northwest v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local Union No. 174. The case in question concerned whether Glacier, a concrete company, could sue the Teamsters due to striking employees’ intentionally destroying Glacier’s property by leaving concrete running in trucks...

More than $3.4 million spent on advertising over a three-month period. Over $75,000 spent on tickets, parking and concessions for Major League baseball games — including $50 per person for rooftop catering. Tens of thousands of dollars spent sponsoring minor league baseball and hockey teams. Over $100,000 spent on branded...

The bipartisan infrastructure law is a once-in-a-generation investment, offering a remarkable — and time-sensitive — opportunity for Western Pennsylvania’s public transit systems. With billions of new dollars ready to be invested by the federal government, there is an urgent need to act swiftly to secure these funds before the window...

April 3 was a significant day for Pennsylvanians who use electricity. The Homer City coal-fired power plant in Indiana County announced it would cease operations in 90 days. The news was a crippling blow to Pennsylvania’s status in the electric generation market. For almost six decades, the Homer City power...

Last month, the NAACP made waves for issuing a travel advisory for Florida in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ruthless efforts to whitewash Black history and severely curtail diversity, equity and inclusion programs. “Once again, hate-inspired state leaders have chosen to put politics over people. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the...

According to the article “Bill to boost funding for road and bridge projects advances in Pa. House” (May 22, TribLIVE), the House Transportation Committee proposes “(reducing) the annual appropriation taken out of the Motor License Fund to support the operations of the Pennsylvania State Police by $100 million until it...

“You can’t handle the truth” is the famous line from the movie “A Few Good Men.” In real life, we can’t handle the lies anymore. We must have the truth to move forward. It strikes me that many of our representatives and those who want to be representatives really do...

Americans celebrated the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day in April. The holiday has changed drastically over the past half century — and so has the natural environment that activists are seeking to protect. Today’s green activists tend to mark Earth Day by focusing on ways to minimize their personal impact...

Expanding health care access has been a major political issue in recent decades — first, during the Clinton health care plan of the 1990s, and then through Obamacare and the subsequent rapid expansion of Medicaid. Yet, despite the major focus on expanding access to care, millions of Americans live in...

Pittsburgh’s population has been steadily declining since the collapse of the steel industry nearly 50 years ago. We now have one of the oldest populations in the entire United States, and deaths outpace births every year. Migration out of urban areas is seen throughout the country, but no metropolitan area...

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie might be best known — at least on the presidential debate stage — for tearing down rivals rather than building up fellow Republicans. In a 2016 GOP primary debate, he famously roughed up Marco Rubio in a debate at Saint Anselm College in New...

Money has no purpose absent production first. Say it over and over again. Money is abundant in the United States not because the Fed decreed it so, but because productivity is a magnet for investment. If ever there comes a time when Americans cease their productive ways, the money will...

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on federal charges, catapulting the U.S. into new legal and constitutional territory. What this means for democracy and for the 2024 presidential race I’ll leave for others to explore. Legally, the two key issues for Trump’s future are, obviously, whether Trump is convicted...

Former Vice President Mike Pence launched his campaign bid for president on June 7, placing him in unusual ranks. While 18 of the 49 former vice presidents have gone on to run for president, it’s rare for vice presidents to run against their former bosses. Six of these former vice...

The United States is in the middle of a two-front war. We face dangerous external adversaries at a time when many inside our country doubt the benefits of our own leadership and the integrity of the very institutions that are designed to support our democracy here at home. 9/11 taught...