Editorials category, Page 32
Editorial: PennWest has an identity crisis
On Monday, enrollment data for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools — the ones with that “(insert name here) University of Pennsylvania” tag — was released. The numbers aren’t great; but, unsurprisingly, there is always room to spin them depending on how you choose to look. Across the...
Editorial: This is no time to move up the 2024 Pennsylvania presidential primary. But what about for 2028?
Despite Pennsylvania’s recurring importance in picking the president in the general election, the state falls considerably short when it comes to deciding the nominees. Joe Biden became the presumptive 2020 Democratic nominee in April — about two weeks before the Pennsylvania primary was scheduled. The primary had been moved up...
Laurels & lances: Grass and granite
Laurel: To acknowledging a problem. Brittni Bair, 33, of Springdale was cited by the municipality for not mowing her lawn. To be fair, it’s been growing unchecked for a while now. Bair hasn’t cut the grass since before June 2. She knows the date because that was when the Cheswick...
Editorial: DA Zappala needs to build bridges instead of playing politics
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. should not be surprised at remarks from Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. In August, the DA released what he called a “briefing” but what felt more like an odd campaign video. Rather than providing an update on cases on the horizon, Zappala used...
Editorial: Domestic violence bill would acknowledge reality
Domestic abuse doesn’t always look like a black eye or a broken wrist. Physical abuse is the most identifiable because it can be seen. It’s the abuse we know from television, movies and public service announcements. There also is emotional abuse. There is verbal and psychological abuse. There is isolation...
Editorial: Indiana shooting shows gun violence isn’t just in cities
Gun violence in cities is something sadly familiar to everyone. We are not surprised to hear of a death toll in an American city over the weekend. We have ceased to be shocked by news of one or two or more shot on any given day in New York or...
Editorial: Why aren’t America’s students showing up?
Nearly four years into America’s learning-loss crisis, perhaps the biggest challenge facing the country’s schools is a basic one: getting students to show up. Rates of absenteeism have surged since the start of the pandemic, across nearly all regions, income levels and age groups. School leaders need to act now...
Editorial: Why are there so many death penalty cases in Washington County?
Washington County has about 210,000 residents. It is 18th in population among Pennsylvania counties. It has a million fewer people than neighboring Allegheny County. Of the 98 people sentenced to death in the Keystone State, 19 were convicted in Philadelphia, seven in Allegheny and five in Westmoreland. But if a...
Editorial: Sadly, vigilance in schools is still needed in wake of recent gun-related incidents
“We shouldn’t have to do this in school,” Christina Burke said. “We should feel safe enough to come here and not have to deal with that.” — — — The Hempfield Area High School senior is correct. Students should be able to show up at school and feel safe. Their...
Laurels & lances: Art, money and good deeds
Laurel: To doing the right thing. On Wednesday, the Carnegie Museum of Art renounced its claim to a million-dollar masterpiece, Egon Schiele’s 1917 pencil drawing titled “Portrait of a Man.” The move came after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg obtained search warrants reclaiming the work as well as other Schiele...
Editorial: Shapiro missed chance to meet higher standard on sexual harassment
Gov. Josh Shapiro scored a lot of his political clout in one arena — the idea that sexual abuse allegations need to be taken seriously. As Pennsylvania’s attorney general, Shapiro stood with adult victims of child sex abuse as he unveiled a statewide grand jury’s report. He detailed decades of...
Editorial: It’s beyond time to crack down on passengers bringing guns to airport checkpoints
Cause and effect follow each other naturally. Touch a hot stove and get a burn. Skip homework and get detention. Drive too fast and get a ticket. It isn’t hard to understand. It’s how we raise children and train pets. When it becomes a problem is when the cause has...
Editorial: Government shutdown not avoided, just punted
Let’s not celebrate the last minute aversion of a government shutdown too quickly. After weeks of growing concern about the federal crisis, the U.S. House of Representatives was even more divided than usual by the time a successful vote was taken Saturday afternoon. Pennsylvania’s federal legislators came together when it...
Editorial: Gainey’s ‘Downtown is doing well’ assessment ignores realism of Pittsburgh’s bigger picture
Everything is just fine in Downtown Pittsburgh. That’s what Mayor Ed Gainey said Tuesday in a forum at Point Park University. “Our Downtown is doing well,” he said. It is the kind of stiff-upper-lip optimism that may give some confidence. When the Tribune-Review asked people, their opinions were mixed. “The...
Editorial: Is Westmoreland Co. DA’s fusion center right for law enforcement collaboration?
Collaboration is a great way to maximize public resources. It puts everyone together on the same footing. It shares information. It reduces workload. It prevents redundancy. On Thursday, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced an effort to promote better collaboration between detectives from her office and state and federal...
Laurels & lances: Art and ammo
Laurel: To a beautiful journey. Art can be taken for granted. It can be locked away in museums and require a ticket to view. But a new art installation in Natrona is a way to promote community and provide an opportunity for exercise. The mosaic trail off River Avenue opened...
Editorial: Arnold vote on manager skirts law
The people get to be a part of the process. That is why we have elections. It is why we have school boards made up of the people who live in the geographical area of the district. It is why we have local government instead of just ceding all responsibility...
Editorial: Jails, police departments need to address losses in leadership
It’s hard to fill empty jobs when even the people on top are leaving. For years, the corrections field and police departments have faced challenges in keeping staff numbers up. Even before the coronavirus pandemic created a widespread upheaval in hiring across many industries, turnover and unfilled positions in these...
Editorial: Change the language of bullying
Why do we use the word “bullying?” The roots are Dutch and German and go back to an origin that means “brother” in the 16th century, but it took just about 100 years to go from the kind of brother who is an ally to the kind who is an...
Editorial: Put brake on revolving Capitol door
Even when legislators lose an election or decide not to seek reelection, or an administration changes because of term limits or a lost election, the Capitol remains full of the same familiar faces. Lawmakers and high-ranking administration officials often don’t leave — they just change sides. While in office, those...
Editorial: Easier voter registration is better for everyone
The more people vote, the more votes count. It shouldn’t matter what party someone joins. It shouldn’t matter whether someone picks no party at all. Ideally, everyone would cast a ballot. Everyone would have their say. That should be a point on which everyone agrees. But there are no points...
Editorial: Pittsburgh Promise is one worth keeping, and worth mourning when money runs out
In 2008, a bargain was struck with students at Pittsburgh Public Schools. Stay in school. Get at least a 2.5 GPA. Graduate. And in return, get a scholarship toward education in a Pennsylvania post-secondary institution. The Pittsburgh Promise nonprofit made this pledge, using donated money including a $100 million commitment...
Laurels & lances: Fires, speakers and votes
Laurel: To trying new things. Volunteer fire companies are having problems filling their ranks. They are addressing this with a combination of ideas. There are recruitment outreach programs and courting of teens who could grow in the departments. There are incentives for members, such as small stipends for taking calls...
Editorial: 5 former Pa. governors agree on open primaries
On Monday, five former governors came together to espouse a common cause. Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker, Ed Rendell, Tom Corbett and Tom Wolf represent an unbroken chain of the Keystone State’s top executives that extends back to 1995. Three are Republicans. Two are Democrats. Wolf and Corbett were even adversaries...
Editorial: Is the Senate dress code that big a deal?
People in Pennsylvania knew who they were electing to the U.S. Senate in 2022. After a knock-down, drag-out statewide battle that included Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz talking about the price of crudité and then Lt. Gov. John Fetterman trolling him all over social media, Fetterman had a stroke days before...
