Editorials category, Page 22
Editorial: Can Jill Biden help bring fellow teacher Marc Fogel home from Russia?
“Teaching is not what you do. It’s who you are.” President Joe Biden made that statement in May when addressing the Teachers of the Year dinner. The president values teachers. He champions education. He has courted the votes of teachers unions. He even married a teacher; first lady Jill Biden...
Lawmakers, leaders call for release of Marc Fogel
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...
Editorial: Why is an at-home rape kit a problem?
A medical examination in the aftermath of a sexual assault is not easy. For many people, it is a second traumatic invasion. Even for those committed to working with law enforcement toward prosecution, it can be difficult to endure. There is a reason for the process, however. The examination, called...
Laurels & lances: Heat wave edition
Laurel: To beating the heat. While we might want to give a lance to the brutal temperatures, let’s stick a pin in that. Instead, we will show a little gratitude with a laurel for the many options the region offers for having a respite from the heat. We’ve got great...
Editorial: Are Philips Respironics jobs another covid casualty?
Philips Respironics is taking its manufacturing out of Murrysville and Upper Burrell. The Bakery Square workers will head to other locations by the end of the year. In a series of unkind cuts, 300 jobs will be lost, and 500 will be moved. It’s a blow. It is not, however,...
Editorial: Juneteenth is about more than the end of slavery
Juneteenth is no more a holiday just for Black people than the Fourth of July is a holiday just for white people. It recognizes and celebrates a profound milestone in American history — the declaration of freedom for an entire race of American people who had been held in bondage...
Editorial: Note to Biden on inflation: It’s the Big Macs, stupid
Democrats flummoxed over why Americans are so down on the economy should visit a McDonald’s. President Joe Biden faces many hurdles in his reelection bid. His approval numbers are historically low. His open-border policies have progressive mayors in many self-proclaimed “sanctuary cities” begging for relief. His foreign policy blunders led...
Editorial: Who bears the responsibility for defending the poor?
Being poor in Pennsylvania is not a crime. It might be enough to get you punished, though, according to a new lawsuit. The American Civil Liberties Union and private law firms filed a petition in Commonwealth Court on Thursday. The demand? They want a ruling that spells out the state’s...
Editorial: Minimum not enough for Westmoreland register of wills to keep job
Making payments in time to avoid penalties is a regular occurrence at a county courthouse. It happens when people pay taxes. It can happen when closing a deal or settling a case. Taking care of the money aspect of a legal transaction can be the final piece that cements everything....
Laurels & lances: Lessons and lead feet
Laurel: To learning from mistakes. The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg was not spared by the revelations of Pennsylvania grand jury reports on hidden child sex abuse. It paid out $4.35 million in clergy sex abuse claims. But the question arising from all these past errors is this: What would happen...
Editorial: It’s time to criminalize deepfakes
As a society, we believe that making something false and passing it off as something real is wrong. You can’t fake money. You can’t make bootleg recordings of movies or music. You can’t forge a check and cash it at a bank. You can’t paint a picture and tell someone...
Editorial: Emergency services could use a little more authority
Could the question of how to save emergency services be all about authority? Pennsylvania has issues with its first response providers. Aside from police departments having trouble filling positions, there are the struggles of fire departments and emergency medical service providers. Most Keystone State fire departments are staffed entirely or...
Editorial: Paid parental leave could make Pennsylvania competitive
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade did more than just upend reproductive health law. It also made back-burner issues take on more urgency. If limits on abortion result in more pregnancies, more policies will be required to respond to the resulting children’s needs. States will...
Editorial: Americans are unhappier than ever; 2 officials want to address that
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, writing on behalf of the Continental Congress, proclaimed all people have an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. A bipartisan duo of elected leaders recently argued we’re doing too little to advance that third and vitally important principle, and...
Editorial: What do Triangle Tech and Pittsburgh Technical College problems portend for trade education?
Career and technical education is important. It has become part of a growing conversation, as the reality and sustainability of university education are debated because of its cost. The requirement of a college degree for certain jobs also is being questioned. In 2023, Gov. Josh Shapiro removed that hurdle for...
Editorial: Will Innamorato’s 500 houses plan work?
Some ailments are acute. They are like an asthma attack — sudden, unpredictable and requiring an urgent and immediate response. Others are chronic and demand steady and sustained supervision, like the steroid inhaler an asthmatic might take daily to strengthen the lungs and stave off an attack. Acute and chronic...
Laurels & lances: Fire and EMS
Laurel: To pulling together. A fire can can devastate a residence. Even when there is no loss of life, it can upend a family and send people scrambling to find shelter and replace the necessities they have lost. But what happens when the residence lost is the place people go...
Editorial: More mental health treatment options are start to solving many social problems
The former Inn at Lenape Heights Event Center and Golf Resort was sold in January for $2.5 million. It prompted a flurry of questions as people in the Manor Township community were left wondering about the impact. The closing took away a hotel, restaurant and location for weddings and other...
Editorial: The sad history of Pennsylvania’s inability to pass a budget
The three branches of government can each do or not do their jobs independent of each other most of the time. The governor of Pennsylvania never has to ask permission for staying inside the lines of his executive tasks. The Legislature doesn’t need the governor’s OK to introduce bills or...
Editorial: Pride is a colorful celebration of acceptance
A rainbow is just a trick of the light. There isn’t really a ribbon of color stretched across the sky. It’s just the way the sun falls through a mist of water suspended in the air after precipitation. The water acts like a cut-glass crystal, slicing through the light to...
Editorial: MLB finally embraces all of the major leagues, including the Black ones
Who holds Major League Baseball’s record for the highest batting average in a single season? It’s not Ted Williams, with his .406 average in 1941, the last time anyone topped .400. It’s not Ty Cobb, with his stunning .420 average in 1911, or even Nap Lajoie, whose .426 average in...
Editorial: Does Penn State worship too much at its football altar?
Penn State is a football school. There’s no denying that. The university may excel in other sports and other areas, but football is the foundation upon which its national brand is built. That can be a good thing. Plenty of schools have leaned into it. Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio...
Editorial: When will U.S. say yes or no to U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel merger?
The world seems fine with Japan’s largest steel company acquiring the grandfather of steel production in America. In December, Tokyo-based Nippon Steel made a $14.9 billion offer to merge with U.S. Steel. In April, U.S. Steel stockholders approved the proposal by an overwhelming 99% of shares represented. And yet a...
Laurels & lances: Rebuilding and reversal
Laurel: To rebuilding. Rick and Beth Napoleon lost their home with the August 2023 explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood. The blaze consumed three houses across the street from the Napoleons, but they were not the only ones with damage. Many houses required extensive repair. The Napoleon home was beyond...
Editorial: Pittsburgh City Council games system with quorums and briefings
It is common for people to try to avoid the law by identifying its outlines and walking right up to that border. It happens in banking, where people will try to avoid the scrutiny that comes with criminal activities by staying under the $10,000 reporting threshold. People will try to...
