Editorials category, Page 16
Editorial: Crypto’s coming back. Here’s how to avert disaster
The crypto party seems to be getting restarted. Bitcoin is surging, and big players are celebrating amid expectations that President-elect Donald Trump will make the U.S., as he put it, “the crypto capital of the world.” Lest this experiment go awry, regulators need to keep some guardrails in place. In...
Editorial: Let’s change the tone of elections in 2025
With the Thursday concession of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Pennsylvania’s 2024 election season effectively comes to a close. Republican businessman Dave McCormick has already gone to Washington for new-senator orientation. The sliver of difference between the two candidates — McCormick’s 48.8% to Casey’s 48.6% — triggered an automatic recount. Casey’s...
Editorial: Are there any guarantees with Nippon Steel?
If Nippon Steel really wants to buy American, it should start by selling the union on the deal. Right now, the members aren’t buying it. The Japanese company’s $14.9 billion offer to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel has been on the table since December. U.S. Steel stockholders approved the deal in...
Laurels & lances: Showing up & going on
Laurel: To getting involved. People talk about fighting the government. Winning a battle like that is the stuff of movies and TV shows. Losing the encounter is more expected. But how often do people really engage? This week, Monroeville council denied an application for a controversial development after multiple meetings...
Editorial: Teaching English as Second Language turns immigrants into community
There are places where the cultural mix of a community makes you expect to hear a chorus of different languages. Along the southern border, Spanish makes sense. So might a smattering of Portuguese or the odd native tongue like Quechua. Closer to Canada, there could be some French. But Westmoreland...
Editorial: Courts need to decide election question on more than a race-by-race basis
Pennsylvania needs an answer — once and for all — on mail-in ballots. The ability to use the voting alternative without a reason like being out of town or having a medical condition was given blanket approval with the passage of Act 77 in 2019. It promptly got its first...
Editorial: Regionalization could rescue volunteer fire departments
Pennsylvania has 67 counties. Those counties contain 2,560 municipalities of various sizes, each with its own internal organizations. There are 2,400 fire departments, according to the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. More than 2,300 of those are strictly volunteer. Another 72 are a mix of volunteers with at least...
Editorial: Another step forward for river recreation?
The idea of removing a section of a concrete river wall in order to improve access to Johnstown’s waterways sounds like it would mesh well with the renewed emphasis on outdoor recreation as an economic driver in this region. The project was in the headlines again this past week when...
Editorial: The high cost of running for office
The 2024 election season was expensive. AdImpact, a Virginia-based advertising analytics firm, reported the total cost of political advertising leading to this year’s general election at a staggering $11 billion. Most of that, obviously, went to the presidential races. The top of the ticket crossed $3 billion. That was more...
Editorial: Does Allegheny County council need to swallow a tax increase?
Government is more than just elections. It is the hard part — the part that comes between elections. It’s deciding what services people want. It’s prioritizing what they need. It’s finding a way to promote growth while preserving character. It is finding a way to pay for it all. And...
Laurels & lances: Trees, water & a grenade
Laurel: To a church donation. Usually, when it comes to giving, it is people tithing to their house of worship which then in turn helps others. But one local parish is developing a habit of contributing to the community in a different way. Guardian Angels Catholic Parish in Springdale will...
Editorial: Bullying and harassment need to be defined to be stopped
What is bullying? What is harassment? The definitions in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary are simple. Bullying is abuse and mistreatment of someone vulnerable by someone stronger or more powerful. Harassment is an unpleasant or hostile situation — especially when involving uninvited or unwelcome verbal or physical interaction. But are those enough for...
Editorial: Is Gainey’s 2025 budget realistic and reasonable?
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey wants to focus on the core services the city provides to residents. That was the tentpole idea of his 2025 budget, presented Tuesday. Good. The administration needs to beef up those aspects that keep the city functioning. Traffic needs to be kept moving. Bridges need to...
Editorial: There is no place for hateful messages as we move on after election
Black Americans and women are being targeted by hateful messaging in the wake of last week’s presidential election. The racist messages are explicit in their referencing of slavery. They tell recipients they have been selected to pick cotton and tell them to be prepared to be picked up and transported...
Editorial: Veterans need political support every day, not just on Veterans Day
For Veterans Day, a classic Trib editorial: Everyone loves a veteran. Especially a politician. On Veterans Day, that pride and appreciation of those who stood up and did their duty when asked or stepped forward to volunteer will be on display in many corners. Flags will be flown, and speeches...
Editorial: The lesson of demographics and the 2024 election
If there was one lesson from the presidential election, it might be about counting chickens. The old adage suggests not counting them before they are hatched. Farm wisdom will tell you just because you have an egg doesn’t guarantee you get a chicken. That egg could end up in an...
Editorial: Court officers are not above the law or discipline
Law enforcement officers have been in the spotlight often in recent years for being on the wrong side of the handcuffs. Sheriffs, deputies, police chiefs, officers, state troopers and more have been arrested and charged, and followed the path through the justice system as defendants. Some have pleaded guilty or...
Laurels & lances: Politics & taking chances
Laurel: To getting through it. The election is over, and Pennsylvania made it through. After months of candidates and journalists all but parachuting into the area to lobby for votes or cover the campaigning, it’s done. With the exception of a few races coming down to the wire with counting...
Editorial: Pennsylvania still has lessons in wake of election
Everyone knew Pennsylvania would be a key player in the 2024 presidential election. What was less certain was the state being a microcosm of the election as it played out across the country. On Tuesday, as ballots were counted, the areas that voted for the Democratic and Republican candidates were...
Editorial: Was dog attack a pit bull problem or a pet owner one?
People expect a few scares on Halloween. Maybe there’s a guy in a hockey mask with a rubber knife lumbering down the street. Maybe an animatronic zombie lunges off the neighbor’s porch. Maybe there’s a spooky haunted house set up in the garage at the end of the block. But...
Editorial: It’s your turn to change the world
OK. That’s it. The 2024 election cycle might be the longest and the shortest ever. In some ways, it feels like it’s been going on since Donald Trump announced his Republican candidacy in 2015. In some sense, it might be dated to 2021, when the former president suggested he would...
Editorial: McDonald’s fickle McFlurry machines are now more fixable. That’s more significant than you might think
With an E. coli scare linked to some of its Quarter Pounders, likely the slivered onions thereupon, McDonald’s and its franchisees have had a rough go of late, as reflected in its share price gyrations. But this week brought some good news for the Chicago- based fast-food giant. The notoriously...
Editorial: The final pitches from the candidates
For months, Pennsylvania has been the focus of much of the American political world. The campaign of former President Donald Trump has been looking to the Republican stretches in rural areas and trying to carve off the edges of Democratic strongholds as he did in 2016. President Joe Biden spent...
Editorial: Halloween parade was no place for jump-scare of political retribution
Halloween is a blend of surprises and traditions. It’s a child-centric holiday that encourages time spent as a family. At the same time, it’s a celebration of the dark and scary, with plenty of blood and gore not generally fit for a G-rated crowd. It is both tricks and treats....
Laurels & lances: Visits & vigils
Laurel: To prioritizing tourism. Monroeville made a bold move this year, purchasing the Monroeville Convention Center after announcements were made that the building would be sold to become a Hobby Lobby. Now the future of that move is being cemented with a lease to Visit Monroeville, the tourism organization formed...
