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Editorials category, Page 5

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Laurels & lances: Juveniles & education
Laurel: To making improvements. Westmoreland County commissioners say they want to see more oversight at the secure juvenile detention center. Good. The facility was closed for about eight months between 2023 and 2024. It reopened in March 2024 with half the licensed 16-person capacity. That will require more staffing. Part...
Editorial: Government must be reliable to function
The somewhat simplified diagrams in social studies textbooks and the catchy tunes of “Schoolhouse Rock!” have taught us a rudimentary idea of what society looks like and how government fits into that. But civics classes and cartoon shorts on Saturday mornings did not give us an appreciation of how those...
Editorial: No excuse justifies silencing student journalism
Here at TribLive, we value the news. We have to value it. It’s our job. We value the news we cover. We value the news other professional outlets cover. We value local news and state news and national news. But we also value student news. In particular, we value student...
Editorial: Arnold Palmer Regional Airport needs real plans to grow business
Why is Arnold Palmer Regional Airport losing money? The Unity airport is a small alternative in Westmoreland County. If you don’t want to brave the parkway and negotiate the sometimes intimidating scope of Pittsburgh International Airport, Arnold Palmer might be a less stressful alternative. The problem? Options. To fly out...
Editorial: Trump and Biden find common ground in abusing their pardon powers
If it wasn’t already clear — after nearly 250 years — that the pardon power is a standing invitation to abuse and corruption, two presidents confirmed it on the same day this week. On his way out of office, Joe Biden issued a “preemptive” clemency for his siblings and their...
Editorial: Where does Pennsylvania fall with the future of recreational marijuana?
Pennsylvania has not yet decided where it will stand with marijuana. Sure, the state has a position on medical marijuana. It’s legal with one of a list of approved diagnoses and a card issued by an approved doctor. Medical cannabis then can be obtained at an authorized dispensary. But that’s...
Editorial: Will Pittsburgh’s mayoral election continue electoral trends?
It’s time to think about elections. There’s a sentence no one was ready to hear. The effects of the 2024 election are just barely becoming reality. The inauguration happened Monday. Confirmation hearings for Cabinet members have only begun. Congress still is finding its footing. The state House needs a special...
Laurels & lances: Winter weather & water woes
Laurel: To finding the upside. It’s hard to locate the silver lining in sub-zero temperatures, but bug experts gave Pennsylvanians a ray of hope. You might not like the deep freeze that settled across the state this week, but neither do spotted lanternflies. The invasive pest has been the bane...
Editorial: Gainey overplayed his hand with Highmark announcement
Commitments are agreements. They are an acknowledgment of accord. When a couple gets married, both parties agree to the love and honor, sickness and health vows. When that couple buys a house, they sign on the dotted line, with the seller and the mortgage company agreeing to their parts in...
Editorial: Gergely seat illustrates importance of respect with lack of majority
Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives is once again locked in a tie. The chamber has reflected the paper-thin margins of state politics since 2023 — or more precisely, since the moment votes were counted in the 2022 general election. That election gave the Democrats a narrow majority with one hand but...
Editorial: ‘A multitude of malicious actors’
“Today’s cyber landscape is threatened by a multitude of malicious actors who have the tools to conduct large-scale fraud schemes, hold our money and data for ransom, and endanger our national security.” That’s according to a 2023 FBI report on internet crime that was quoted this month in The (Cumberland,...
Editorial: Secret Service will be shaped by events in Butler
The Butler Farm Show grounds shooting will have a lasting impact on the U.S. Secret Service. That was evident from the moment the first shot rang out and when Donald Trump clutched his ear. Few Secret Service-protected events have body counts. Buffalo Township firefighter Corey Comperatore was not there to...
Editorial: Did taxpayers win their bet on legalized gambling?
On Tuesday, Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield had some impressive payouts. It wasn’t because someone bet on black or stayed at the slot machine until a jackpot came up. The awards weren’t paid in poker chips. The prize was $19 million in casino-generated funds distributed to organizations with a public...
Laurels & lances: New store, old story
Laurel: To shopping around. The Greater Pittsburgh region will have a new neighbor in the grocery market. This week, popular New York-based retailer Wegmans announced its first foray into the area. A 115,000-square-foot location is planned for a 13-acre plot in Cranberry, adjacent to the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. A...
Editorial: Increasing use of coarse language in seats of power reflects a broader decline
The term “presidential” long has referred to the way a person carries himself and the significance of the office. It also can refer to the people with whom the president surrounds himself. After the rapid evolution of public discourse in recent years — some might convincingly call it devolution —...
Editorial: What’s the diagnosis for Independence Health?
Independence Health is trying to stop some bleeding in 2025. The regional health network continued to show financial losses in 2024. Independence was created in 2023 by stitching together two smaller systems — Excela and Butler. Both had their own challenges to overcome, something many medical facilities were doing after...
Editorial: Is U.S. Steel’s future with Nippon Steel or Cleveland-Cliffs?
Is the future of U.S. Steel at a fork in the road? More than a week after blocking the almost $15 billion sale of U.S. Steel to Japanese-based Nippon Steel, President Joe Biden’s administration made a puzzling last-minute pivot. He could have just left things where they were, with the...
Editorial: What’s up with Fetterman/Trump meeting?
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is seldom shy about making his feelings known. Whether he is walking the halls of the Russell Senate Office Building in his signature hoodie-and-shorts ensemble or dropping a zinger on social media, Fetterman is unapologetically himself. In a Washington full of blue-suited, red-tied carbon copies who...
Editorial: Social media helps to identify the pitfalls of Pittsburgh Mills potholes
Social media has proven itself to be a way to rally people to a cause. It was part of uprisings in the Middle East. It has been instrumental in civil rights protests. It helps raise money for people in the wake of tragedies as big as weather disasters and as...
Laurels & lances: Bikes & buttons
Laurel: To a set of wheels. A bike is important transportation for many people — especially high school students. But for Elijah Mendez, 17, transportation is more than just getting around town for fun or errands. It’s about service. The Plum High School senior is a Renton Volunteer Fire Department...
Editorial: The surprising grace of a politically divided state House of Representatives
Something remarkable happened Tuesday in Harrisburg. Lawmakers exercised both judgment and grace. It’s shocking. Even more surprising, the world didn’t end because there was no obvious partisan victory. Yes, state Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, will continue to lead the House of Representatives as speaker for another term. But how that...
Editorial: Homicide numbers show progress but room for improvement
It is important to acknowledge progress when it occurs. Just because it isn’t the Tour de France doesn’t mean you don’t give a kid a high five for staying on his bike all the way down the block without training wheels. Passing a test isn’t getting into Harvard, but it’s...
Editorial: Farmers market and food shuttle could change climate of food desert
Think of a desert, and a specific image comes to mind. It’s sandy and hot and seems endless and empty. But that’s not every desert. There are frozen deserts that still qualify for the definition because of the lack of rainfall. There are deserts landscaped with mountains or those dotted...
Editorial: Republican budget gimmicks: Just say no
The Republican Party’s new majority has become deeply split over the legislative path ahead. Some lawmakers want to prioritize defense, energy and immigration. Others want to focus on taxes first. Still others want everything, all at once, preferably while humiliating their opponents. A more modest agenda would better suit their...
Editorial: The burden of the [egg] yolk
The price of eggs was political in 2024. The breakfast staple and baking building block often came into the conversation over the cost of groceries. Vice President-elect JD Vance provided an inadvertent chuckle for some when claiming a carton cost $4 — while standing in front of a display with...


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