Featured Commentary category, Page 7

California lawmakers recently approved two bills banning grocery and convenience stores statewide from offering customers reusable plastic bags. These bills are the next step in combating plastic waste, but what about the waste from mass consumerism that has come to pervade our lives? Through the past decades, we have been...

When it comes to secular holidays in the United States, it’s hard to beat the Fourth of July. The country turns out for picnics, parades and mosquito bites at dusk as families await the fireworks. There is much to celebrate this week. We are 248 years old and the longest...

In early June, the Biden administration announced a more “competitive” nuclear weapons strategy, after Moscow and Beijing reportedly spurned U.S. efforts to discuss arms control. The new approach includes the possibility of increasing America’s deployment of strategic nuclear weapons. The administration’s more muscular stance may be only a small down...

After two years of bitter congressional conflict, both parties are spending hundreds of millions of dollars in hopes of gaining working majorities in next year’s session. But it’s a long shot — for both. More probably, 2025 will again see divisions in both houses so slender that the party winning...

Amid a deluge of decisions handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court, one recent ruling stands out as good news for those seeking to protect domestic violence survivors and others from fatal shootings. And it also shines as a beacon of hope for even stronger safety protections in the future....

Not a good night for Biden. Not a proud night for Trump. A sad night for the United States. That’s my take after watching the presidential debate, but I didn’t watch alone. I enlisted three experts on aging to share their observations. I was focused on a single question while...

We haven’t even crossed the midway point of 2024, and more than 140 pharmacies have closed in Pennsylvania since we began the year, and countless local jobs have been lost. Sadly, there aren’t any signs this trend will slow down anytime soon until Pennsylvania enacts comprehensive pharmacy benefit manager (PBM)...

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry was brimming with pride and arrogance last week when he signed into law a requirement that every classroom in his state — from kindergarten to college chemistry labs — will be required to display a copy of the Ten Commandments. “I can’t wait to be sued,”...

As a working parent, I understand the importance of high-quality, consistent early childhood educators. When my oldest child was born, my husband and I soon realized that the cost of quality child care was nearly equal to my take-home salary. The math just was not mathing, so we made the...

Republicans like me, loyal to principles over individuals, are grateful to see Reaganesque qualities in a candidate running for president in 2024. It would surprise and disappoint President Reagan, however, that it’s not the candidate on the GOP ticket. It is President Biden who, like Reagan, often demonstrates moral and...

Bridges provide crucial access between regions and cities, linking workers to jobs, goods to markets and people to essential services. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), transportation agencies need $70.9 billion to overcome the current backlog of deficient bridges. This investment would be money well spent, as poor bridge...

As Pennsylvania competes with surrounding states to attract tourists, it’s important we remain competitive in as many areas as possible. Outdoor recreation and tourism are linked, especially in a state like Pennsylvania. And enhancements in outdoor infrastructure have far-reaching positive impacts on our communities and economies. This is why the...

The Scripture readings prescribed for worship in my faith tradition on a recent Sunday included, “The Lord God called to the man and asked him, ‘Where are you?’ ” (Gen 3:9) This is the first recorded question posed by God; it must therefore be critical. Adam answers, “I hid myself,”...

What are people looking for in their darkest hour, when they are frightened, angry, frustrated and uncertain whether the coming years will be better or worse? Hope. They want something to believe in, a message that will lift their spirits and rally them to a vision of a brighter future....

On Thursday, Frank Fahrenkopf will be just another member of the TV audience watching as Joe Biden and Donald Trump tangle in this year’s first presidential debate. He’s not happy about that. In 1987, Fahrenkopf, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, helped found the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential...

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, following his history of speeding and distracted driving while at the wheel, needs to understand that his actions have real consequences — consequences that can take innocent lives. The family of Gracie James knows this fact; she was a victim in a distracted driving crash unrelated...

In April, President Joe Biden signed into law the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a measure that could effectively ban the video-sharing app TikTok in the United States. The bill, passed as part of a military aid package, is set up as a protection against foreign adversaries,...

As I’ve worked with Marc Fogel’s family and gotten to know the large community of people who care about Marc, I’ve been struck by the indelible mark he left on the students he taught around the globe for more than 35 years. “Mr. Fogel,” as they called him, made history...

Marc Fogel is a history teacher who dedicated the last 35 years of his life to teaching young people. He is a father, a brother, and a son. But now he’s spent nearly two years behind bars in a Russian prison because of an honest mistake. Over the past year,...

Here in Western Pennsylvania, we know the meaning of service. We helped build this country, and we fought our country’s wars — all of them. We have a long, proud history of people stepping up to serve the common good in so many ways and forms. Marc Fogel is one...

When I sat down with Malphine Fogel in my office a year ago, I made it clear that Congress will never stop fighting for her son’s release. Over 1,000 days have passed since Marc Fogel’s detainment in Russia, and it has been understandably difficult for her family and the Pittsburgh...

For the last three years, members of Congress representing Western Pennsylvania have advocated for Marc Fogel. Today, we continue to call for Marc’s freedom. As Marc’s voice in Congress, we have worked numerous legislative and diplomatic paths to pursue his safe and quick return home. Throughout the process, we have...

On Aug. 12, 2021, Marc Fogel left his friends and family in Western Pennsylvania to return to Moscow for his final year of teaching before retirement. Marc spent much of his adult life teaching history at schools attended by children of U.S. diplomats. He had previously taught at schools in...

Marc Fogel, a native of Butler, is a 1984 social studies education graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, loved and respected by his faculty and by hundreds of IUP alumni all over the world who call him a friend. After graduating from IUP, Marc devoted his life — 36 years...

Marc Fogel of Oakmont has been an international teacher since he was a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In August 2021, he was arrested at the airport in Moscow for possession of 17 grams of marijuana, legally prescribed in Pennsylvania for a well-documented history of back and knee pain...