Letters to the Editor category, Page 78

On May 16, Westmoreland County Republican voters will select two candidates for county commissioners. Of the five candidates, Sean Kertes and Doug Chew are running for reelection. They have done an excellent job and deserve to be reelected. As a voter, I ask myself whether Westmoreland County has continued to...

What’s happening in the Westmoreland County commissioners race is absolutely a disgrace (“Appeals court rules Ventre, Kosko to remain on GOP ballot for Westmoreland commissioner,” April 7, TribLIVE). For Bill Bretz, the Westmoreland County Republican Party chairman, and his attorney, Scott Avolio, who is also an assistant solicitor for the...

As a lifelong Springdale resident, high school alumnus, homeowner, taxpayer and former borough council member, Mitchell Karaica has a vested interest in keeping our community safe and thriving. For years, he has committed himself to showing up for our community by giving his time and/or resources, without looking for recognition....

I find the editorial “Figure out the source for state police fund money first” (April 13, TribLIVE) ignorant of the highway laws. Title 36, § 425 prohibits the posting of any signage on state road rights of way without express written consent from PennDOT. Written permission is never obtained and...

The decisions of a municipal official, school board director or local magistrate will certainly impact your life more immediately, and more directly, than those of a president, governor or U.S. senator. Local elected officials make decisions that affect your most valuable assets — your family, your home, your school, your...

In response to the letter “God didn’t give us guns” (April 23, TribLIVE): We do not need more “commonsense” gun laws; we need commonsense enforcement of existing gun laws. If you do not punish bad behavior, you get worse behavior. Anyone who has raised children should have learned that. The...

Leslie Uncapher Zellers is a co-founder of the Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Ride, which raises funds for a scholarship for police academy cadets. She is also co-founder of the Fallen Officer Food Drive and the Lower Burrell St. Patrick’s Day Parade. She loves her community and our families, and she...

Gary Franks made many erroneous statements in his column “The root causes of mass shootings and inner-city homicides” (April 21, TribLIVE). The worst was saying slavery would not have existed if men didn’t use guns to capture Blacks in Africa. That is a joke. Those Blacks were already captured and...

As we approach this next election , I can’t help but submit a letter supporting our current local district magistrate, Cheryl Peck Yakopec. Her opponent is campaigning on the motto “Choice for change” and “Justice you deserve.” I respectfully disagree with the idea we need change. One of the positive...

Much history has been written about the infiltration of Catholic seminaries by communists in the 1930s and their infiltration of our universities in the ’50s and ’60s. Their purpose was to sabotage and destroy our American way of life. The process would be slow, one drip at a time. Indoctrination...

Removing books that have graphic scenes of rape and explicit sexual violence from our school libraries and keeping them out of the curriculum should not be controversial or partisan. In the Hempfield Area School District, a few educators, one school board member (former counselor) and a few candidates running for...

Outstanding article about French classes returning to Penn-Trafford (“No ‘au revoir’ just yet: Penn-Trafford to keep French program, for now,” April 23, TribLIVE), c’est bon! And good job including the chart about which languages are taught at other are schools. Very sad to see Latin posted only once. Medical terminology,...

The editorial “Revamp laws for legal guardians” (April 24, TribLIVE) supporting Pennsylvania Senate Bill 506 inaccurately states that the bill requires steps to preclude guardians’ conflicts of interest like those highlighted by Spotlight PA. In fact, nothing in the bill prevents nursing homes from nominating specific professional guardians. The bill...

When it comes to banks, it appears we are in a vicious cycle (“Army of lobbyists helped water down banking regulations,” March 21, TribLIVE). Due to mismanagement, banks fail, the taxpaying middle class bails them out, Congress enacts regulations, over time the regulations get watered down, banks fail and the...

Pittsburgh is grappling with a surge in overdoses related to the misuse of xylazine, a veterinary sedative. The drug is often mixed with fentanyl, amplifying its potency and contributing to the ongoing opioid crisis in the region. While Pennsylvania has taken steps to address the issue by up-scheduling xylazine to...

The national debt is rapidly approaching $32 trillion. This number was inconceivable a decade prior, and even today we still have trouble picturing what it looks like. For the individual, the issue appears insoluble. What must be done? We must unconditionally default on the national debt. In other words, the...

I support reelecting Judge Cheryl Yakopec. For over 20 years, Yakopec has generously helped me in my work to beautify Memorial Park. She assigns her students to help with planting, weeding, raking, building birdhouses and more. I supervise them, and she comes to check on them. It is beneficial because...

We’re not ‘good or evil’ based on our political views A recent letter to the editor claims that America has devolved into a battleground of good vs. evil (“Pick a side, good or evil,” April 10, TribLIVE). The view(s) of the author insinuate that conservatives (Republicans) are good, God-fearing Christian...

As a local parent and resident of Allegheny County for 17 years, I’m excited to vote for Darwin Leuba for county controller in the Democratic primary election May 16. This office carries crucial responsibilities long neglected by our electeds. The county controller serves as auditor for Allegheny County, which controls...

In the article “Westmoreland DA says forensics lab will speed investigations” (April 14, TribLIVE), the Tribune-Review reported that District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli and county commissioners plan to spend: $497,000 for lab equipment; a new salary of $84,000; and $250,000 for training and accreditation. The goal is to have it “be...

Before I die, I have two wishes regarding elections: 1. I’d like to vote for someone rather than against someone, and 2. I can be confident that the political candidate I vote for has the people’s interest at heart rather than their own. Richard Herd Hempfield...

To expand on Tara Gandy’s comments in the article “Greensburg Salem parent calls for change after teacher caught reading racial slur aloud in classroom,” regarding John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” (April 13, TribLIVE): Perhaps we ought to have a good old-fashioned book burning — maybe this week, during National...

Dear Assassins game players: Do you really mean to play a game called “Assassins?” Please, change the name that has brought our country so much pain and shame. Give the game a new name, like “Tag,” and don’t dishonor our flag. Do you wonder why schools won’t affiliate with a...

An indictment is simply the bringing of charges against a defendant. It does not determine innocence or guilt. Its validity is decided by an impartial grand jury of 20-25 people chosen through a rigorous jury selection process. They (not the district attorney, in this case, Alvin Bragg) determine, by majority...

Regarding the mismatched race for district judge in East Deer, Tarentum, Brackenridge, Fawn and Harrison, there is only one legitimate choice: Judge Carolyn Bengel. Bengel has 30 years of proven and practiced experience as an impressive district judge, as well as continually engaging in beneficial off-duty service in our communities....