Editorials category, Page 38
Editorial: More musical chairs in Pennsylvania House special elections
When Pennsylvanians go to the polls Tuesday, for two regions, it won’t be just about nominating the people who will appear on the November ballot. In two areas on the eastern side of the state, the votes will have immediate impact. The state House of Representatives is facing its fourth...
Editorial: How to measure the gravity of a mass shooting
What is mass? It seems like a synonym for weight, but that isn’t quite right. Weight is how we measure the pressure that gravity exerts upon things. But mass? Mass is the actual presence of an item — its length and breadth and density. Mass has another meaning. It can...
Editorial: Pennsylvania has real role in regulating rail
A Pennsylvania legislative committee is in favor of expanding the state’s part in oversight of railroad safety. The House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee gave 19-2 approval to House Bill 1028. It would authorize the state to maintain a tighter grip on the way trains operate. This isn’t surprising...
Editorial: Cross-filing and Pennsylvania political identities
Should candidates in Pennsylvania school board races be permitted to cross-file? Cross-filing is allowed only in lower-level judicial races and for school board candidates in the Keystone State. It is what happens when someone decides to appear on the Democratic and Republican ballots in a primary election. For some, that...
Editorial: Pennsylvania elections need uniformity
Westmoreland County voters, you have been warned. On Thursday, the county election board set its rules in stone for the May 16 primary. It was spelled out unequivocally: Screw something up on your mail-in ballot, and it will not be counted. Specifically, ballots must be dated and dated correctly. That...
Laurels & lances: Reaction and consequence
Laurel: To a quick response. For several weeks, we have had the unfortunate duty to chastise people for hoaxes. These involved reports of active shooters that were made up. They targeted Oakland Catholic and Central Catholic high schools in Pittsburgh, Laurel Highlands High School in Fayette County, Mt. Pleasant Area...
Editorial: World Press Freedom Day is a reminder of vital role
May 3 doesn’t really seem like a holiday for most people. It’s after Easter and before Memorial Day. It falls in that middle ground of spring days that just run into one another. But May 3 is a holiday that flies under the radar, although it speaks to something that...
Editorial: Can Re:Build reimagine manufacturing in Southwestern Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is built on the brute strength of production. For more than 100 years, the region was where people dug coal from the earth, turned ore into metal, baked bricks and fashioned glass. The creations of Pittsburgh and surrounding areas were the things that built the nation. That was something...
Editorial: It’s long past time we test our schools for radon
Radon is poison. It occurs naturally in the world, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous. It’s a gas that can seep up from the soil. It can filter through the water. It can be found in the bricks and boards of a building. You won’t see it. It has...
Editorial: Embracing and supporting career and tech education is critical
Commencement season is upon us. It is the time of year when the many universities throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania are suiting up their students in robes and mortarboards. The strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” are heard in the air. Thousands of college students will receive degrees and embark on their careers....
Editorial: Promising bipartisan start to House’s work
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has done something that seems like a throwback to a quaint time we can barely remember. It did its job. More than that, after coming back into session following a lengthy break, the lawmakers got down to the business of making laws and not just...
Editorial: Pittsburgh Pirates season start shows possibility
On Thursday, Pittsburgh Pirates legend Dick Groat died at 92. It was a loss for his family and friends, but it also was a sad moment for Pirates fans. Groat, who swung a wicked bat and won National League MVP for the 1960 World Series champions, was not just a...
Laurels & lances: School buses and school boards
Laurel: To law enforcement. When it comes to keeping people safe or making things work properly, the first thing people think is often “someone should pass a law.” Often, however, what really needs to be done is to pay attention to a law that has already been passed. That’s particularly...
Editorial: The petty animosity of political ballot challenges
On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court looked at the protestations of Westmoreland County Republican Committee Chairman Bill Bretz and shrugged. Bretz filed a lawsuit in March in the county Court of Common Pleas in an attempt to remove two of the three Republicans challenging incumbents Sean Kertes and Doug Chew...
Editorial: DEP must remain vigilant with East Palestine crash testing
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has not found chemicals from the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in samples taken in the Keystone State. On Monday, DEP acting Secretary Rich Negrin said chemicals have not been detected in soil or water samples. “We are thrilled that the...
Editorial: When is free speech not free on college campuses?
Freedom of speech is a frustrating thing to embrace. “I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” said biographer Evelyn Beatrice Hall of Voltaire, paraphrasing his work. Voltaire may have been a French philosopher, but that do-or-die attitude...
Editorial: Revamp laws for legal guardians
Most older people understand, by experience, the adage that “old age doesn’t come alone.” And, as people live longer, old age often comes with a legal guardian. In Pennsylvania, more than 18,000 people are under legal guardianships, and about half are older than 60. Guardians oversee more than $1.7 billion...
Editorial: The solemn duty of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting jury
On Monday, the trial of Robert Bowers will begin with jury selection. The 12 people in the jury box — and the alternates who will back them up — will comprise the backbone of one of the most important trials Pittsburgh may ever see. It will decide whether Bowers is...
Editorial: Why did Fitzgerald pick Doven-Hallam race for endorsement?
With just over three weeks until the primary elections, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald weighed in with his first endorsement of 2023. You might think he was prepared to recommend his pick to replace him. Fitzgerald is finishing his third term. He is just the third person to have that...
Laurels & lances: Civic duty and illegal drugs
Laurel: To a valuable education. If there’s one thing our divided political landscape proves, there are a lot of people out there who could have used a civics class. Civics is the study of what it takes to be a citizen. It teaches the mechanism of the governments that govern...
Editorial: Fewer employees can add up to high costs
Sometimes having fewer people to do the job might mean more work for the employees but a lower bottom line for the payroll. You have a store to staff, for example. You want 10 people to work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You only have five. You shuffle those...
Editorial: Frustrating parallels between North Side and Alabama shootings and the agonizing wait for answers
In Alabama, there is mourning for the loss of four people who were attending a 16th birthday party Saturday in Dadeville. There is concern for the health and well-being of 32 more who were injured. But people are frustrated by the lack of answers about what happened and who is...
Editorial: Taxes add up in Pennsylvania
It’s that time again. If you haven’t filed your federal income tax return, it’s due today. For about half of Americans, it doesn’t matter. They’re the ones who have already filed their taxes by March — 36 percent in February, shortly after their paperwork for 2022 income was in hand,...
Editorial: ‘Skill’ games are gambling; regulate them
Gambling is among the most heavily regulated and taxed businesses in Pennsylvania — except for the variety available at the local convenience store. Electronic “skill games” look much like casino slot machines. But skill games require input beyond money — the answer to a trivia question, a quick-reaction challenge or...
Editorial: Pa. State System of Higher Education needs to embrace change
PennWest University is taking steps to save costs. The university is in its infancy under this name. Until the 2022-23 school year, PennWest didn’t exist. It was born of the merging of three Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities: California, Clarion and Edinboro. The purpose of the merger was...
