Editorials category, Page 27
Editorial: Navalny’s death in Russian prison underscores danger for Fogel
Alexei Navalny died in a Russian prison Friday. He was 47, several years in to a 19-year prison sentence. On paper, his crime was “extremism.” In reality, his offense was opposition to Russian president and former KGB intelligence officer Vladimir Putin. The information about exactly how the death occurred is...
Laurels & lances: Volunteers and tuition
Laurel: To finding a fix. One problem with having a volunteer fire department is that fires often happen while your volunteers aren’t available. If everyone is at work at 10 a.m., who is there to respond to a house fire? Greensburg council has taken steps to address that. On Monday,...
Editorial: Election for Santos seat strikes familiar chord in Pennsylvania
It was an odd mid-winter special election, with all eyes turned to the Northeast on a Tuesday night as polls closed. While just one seat in Congress was on the table, the race to fill the vacancy left by an elected official who departed amid scandal was seen as a...
Editorial: What’s next for Hempfield’s building project?
First, Hempfield Area School District got wildly over-budget bids for its high school renovation project. Then it decided to hire an owner’s representative — a position that sounds a lot like a project manager but isn’t — to keep things on course. Now the architect has resigned. Are the Hempfield...
Editorial: Gator tales are more than viral stories
There are stories that news organizations cover because you need to know the information. There are others we cover because we think you will want to know about it. Then there are the ones that seem like one but are really the other. Take alligators. People love alligator stories. You...
Editorial: Defense secretary must rebuild trust after unexpected absence
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took responsibility for not notifying the White House when he was hospitalized at the beginning of January, an important first step in rebuilding trust with President Joe Biden, Congress and the American people. While Austin’s desire to keep his medical situation private is understandable, this was...
Editorial: State Department must prioritize humanity and Marc Fogel
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sat down with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson for an interview. Amid discussion of the war with Ukraine, about to enter its second year, he brought up another topic followed by Americans. He spoke of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Russia, he...
Editorial: Spaying or neutering pets has big impact
Longtime game show host Bob Barker offered good advice at the end of each episode of “The Price is Right”: “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.” It was an important message. A cat can live as long as 20 years but can start breeding after...
Laurels & lances: Taking time and wasting time
Laurel: To pressing pause. Derry council is expected to consider a two-year moratorium before bringing the borough’s police dog program back into play. The program was disbanded in October following the death of police dog Smoke in August. Smoke was euthanized after being injured in fight with a family dog...
Editorial: The high cost of a Pittsburgh master plan
It has been said you have to spend money to make money. There also is the idea you can spend money to save it. For example, spending $50 on an oil change can prevent costly engine work. Quality clothing is more expensive than fast fashion today but saves money in...
Editorial: Shapiro wants to build on ‘what we did last year together.’ Really?
Ah, time has come once again for that wonderful rite of February when a state icon pops up for a moment in the sun. No, not Groundhog Day. That was last week. Tuesday was the governor’s budget address. Much like the festivities at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, the annual event...
Editorial: Cyberattack on court system is frustrating and familiar
Cyberattacks on essential services are happening more often. Hackers have hit at financial institutions. They have struck hospitals. In 2021, a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline affected the nation’s natural gas supply. While these things might seem like the stuff of suspenseful TV shows or James Bond movies, they aren’t....
Editorial: Closed pharmacies came with no spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down
When you need your medicine, you need your medicine. A doctor prescribes what is needed and the timetable to take it. Every morning, every four hours, whatever the doctor says goes. People can be hamstrung by availability. We are used to the restrictions of money when a certain prescription costs...
Editorial: Should U.S. Steel deal be open to political threats?
Some things are too complicated for a campaign promise. That never stops anyone from making them, though. On Wednesday, former president and Republican front-runner Donald Trump said that, if elected, he would block the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel Corp., a leading steel producer based in Japan. The...
Editorial: What is going on in the Westmoreland County Register of Wills office?
It is a little embarrassing to be called on the carpet at work. It’s a lot worse when the person doing the scolding is a judge — or two. In a hearing Wednesday, Westmoreland County Common Pleas judges admonished Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton. The language was longer and...
Laurels & lances: Contract and comment
Laurel: To getting it done. It wasn’t easy, but, with just days to spare, Westmoreland County avoided a strike by 500 unionized courthouse and nursing home employees. Service Employees International Union Local 668 and Healthcare PA members voted to accept a three-year deal that will include raises totaling about 17%...
Editorial: How convenient for Westmoreland commissioners to fund their own raises but not retirees’
What is good for the goose is good for the gander, they say. The adage means what is applicable and appropriate in one area also is applicable and appropriate for a comparable scenario. Make a gravy to serve with that goose, and it will probably taste good on a roast...
Editorial: Flooded homeless camp highlights failure to address problems
Imagine you have almost nothing. The clothes you have are on your back. If you have a blanket, it might be around your shoulders. Your mattress is the cardboard from an old box. The only roof is the thin fabric of a collapsible tent. If you have things that are...
Editorial: Does anyone want to be a school superintendent?
Why do you need a school superintendent? The job might seem hard to understand for some taxpayers. Teachers? That one makes sense. They’re the people in the room with the students, opening their eyes to reading and math and science. Principal? That’s the person in charge of a school —...
Editorial: Keep asking questions about school violence
“No child should ever go to school and never come home.” Terra Campbell is absolutely right. She knows that better than anyone. Her son, Marquis, was shot and killed as he sat in a school van outside Oliver Citywide Academy on Jan. 19, 2022. On Thursday, Eugene Watson was sentenced...
Editorial: Shapiro’s big idea on colleges needs more detail
Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed an overhaul to the way postsecondary education works in Pennsylvania. The state is a leader when it comes to going to college. It sports an Ivy League school in the University of Pennsylvania, one of the largest universities in the country in Penn State, groundbreaking...
Editorial: What is the future of volunteer fire departments?
Fire departments aren’t an optional public service. Some things we enjoy having, such as a museum or library, make lives better or help people access important services. Other things augment our communities and improve property values, such as swimming pools or baseball fields. But fire departments are something we can’t...
Laurels & lances: Cooperation and cruelty
Laurel: To cooperation. Many state and local leaders will note that Pennsylvania’s overlapping jurisdictions and duplication of services can cause a lot of headaches. Do we need 500 school districts in 67 counties? Then there are the concentric circles of municipalities that can be contained within other municipalities like a...
Editorial: PETA’s annual groundhog swap suggestion
It’s possible the good people at PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — have seen the movie “Groundhog Day” one too many times. The Bill Murray classic features a Pittsburgh weatherman who journeys to the frozen hamlet of Punxsutawney for the annual rite where a groundhog emerges...
Editorial: Data is important in Human Services, but so is humanity
Westmoreland County is taking steps to serve people better, and it is doing it by the numbers. The county’s Human Services Department amasses a lot of data from its daily operations. That’s to be expected with the amount of people who pass through its programs. Human Services is an umbrella...
