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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Editorial: What does Biden’s block mean for U.S. Steel?
Pittsburgh is a steel town. Pennsylvania is forged from coal and coke and iron. Maps are peppered with the words “furnace” and “mills.” The history of metal production in the Keystone State began in the 1700s — before America was a nation. Did the end of that identity come Friday...
Editorial: Pittsburgh needs to show urgency in addressing police staffing
On Wednesday, New Orleans was primed for a party. That’s not surprising. The city starts celebrating Mardi Gras on Monday for an event that doesn’t take place until March 4. The French Quarter ratchets up to a fever pitch of music, parades, beignets and alcohol. And so it makes sense...
Editorial: What is Pennsylvania’s political future?
Where does Pennsylvania go from here politically? It can be hard to predict. That’s what makes Pennsylvania a swing state. The Democratic and Republican strongholds are well known, but the fuzzy purple edges where things blur are harder to pin down. Will that continue? Will Pennsylvania continue to be the...
Editorial: Tissue donation is a gift of hope
Organ donations save lives. The story of medicine in Pittsburgh has included huge chapters on the growth of transplant surgery. Livers, hearts, kidneys and lungs — all of these are the critical organs people need to survive. They are not, however, the only donations that can be made when someone...
Editorial: Obamacare is more popular and costlier than ever
A rude surprise could be in store for the millions of Americans who get health coverage through the Affordable Care Act. If Congress doesn’t act next year, enhanced premium subsidies will expire by December, causing enrollees’ payments to increase by more than 75% on average. Officials estimate more than 2...
Editorial: 2024 was a year of questions and conversations
In 2024, our editorials asked questions and started conversations. Pittsburgh being Pittsburgh, our most read editorial came in January, asking why Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had to be so petulant when presented with a very predictable question at a news conference after losing a wild-card playoff game to Buffalo. Other...
Editorial: Marc Fogel’s wrongful detention designation is just the start
It took more than three years, but it finally happened: The State Department has deemed Marc Fogel wrongfully detained. In August 2021, the teacher from Oakmont was returning to Russia to teach at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. He was arrested at Sheremetyevo Airport when he was found in possession...
Laurels & lances: Getting things done
Laurel: To a meaningful name. Congress is not known to get much done — especially not in the last few years when lawmakers have been paralyzed by partisanship. But this month something crawled across the finish line for Southwestern Pennsylvania. In July 2023, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, introduced a...
Editorial: The hope and light of Hanukkah
The symbol of Hanukkah is not what you might think it is. For many, the Jewish festival of lights is most identified with a menorah — a branch of flames atop candles or cups of oil. But what the uninitiated might mistake for a menorah is really a hanukkiah. A...
Editorial: Share the special glow of Christmas
Christmas trees are like snowflakes. No two are alike. Some are made of aluminum and plastic. They might be put up on Black Friday — maybe even earlier in November. Some are real trees bought from parking lots outside grocery stores or fire stations. Some were cut fresh from a...
Editorial: Putin’s weaker than he looks. Seize the opportunity
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to project an image of economic strength while prosecuting the war in Ukraine, as if he could easily outlast the West’s efforts to counter his aggression. If President-elect Donald Trump and other Western leaders want to negotiate a prudent peace deal, they shouldn’t buy...
Editorial: Self-exclusion is a cry for help
The state does a lot of things to keep people safe. It creates laws about domestic violence. It paints lines on roads. It makes sure the water is clean, the ground is unpolluted and the air is clear. In many cases, the state keeps people safe from themselves. Pennsylvania governs...
Editorial: Will Westmoreland County finally hire an elections director?
Westmoreland County Director of County Operations Greg McCloskey has retired. People do this every day. Yahoo Finance reports an estimated 6.1 million Americans have retired this year — or will in the next 10 days. McCloskey is 61 — a hair short of the traditional 65 but definitely in the...
Laurels & lances: Taxes & sentencing
Laurel: To taking action. Tarentum property owners will feel an extra pinch in their tax bill next year, but it might be a better benefit in the long run. Council passed a 9% tax increase that will take the cost for an average homeowner from $219 to $239. So what...
Editorial: Irwin makes itself the Scrooge in a Christmas landlord story
In his famous story “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens makes his main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, an unlikable character on many fronts. While it’s his miserly ways and dislike of Christmas that get most of the attention, let’s not forget that Scrooge is also an unscrupulous landlord. Whether renting or holding...
Editorial: Monroeville Mall should be on someone’s shopping list
There’s a sale at Monroeville Mall. Everything must go. That’s not unusual in December. Sales are everywhere. But this time, it isn’t just sweaters and toys and candles with a price tag. The big “SALE” sign is on the 187-acre location itself as CBL Properties, the Tennessee owner of the...
Editorial: Pennsylvania should better regulate the products already available before legalizing more
Marijuana is legal in Pennsylvania. Kind of. Except not really. The twisting vines of what is and isn’t OK in the Keystone State have been growing like weeds since 2016. That was when the state legalized medical marijuana. It was broadly bipartisan. In a senate that has been solidly in...
Editorial: AI is ‘helping’ with your online holiday shopping, whether you like it or not
The holiday shopping season has started fast, especially online, and those automated chatbots are working overtime. Artificial intelligence is increasingly finding its way into decisions that once were purely human, like whether or not to buy a sweater. This year, more than ever, smart computer programs are stepping between customers...
Editorial: Post-traumatic stress is a shock to the system for first responders
At any emergency, there is a concern beyond bandages and oxygen. The victims of a car crash, fire or other event are observed and kept calm. An emergency medical technician may wrap in a blanket someone who doesn’t have any outward signs of injury. It is more than about keeping...
Editorial: There is no justice in Biden’s commutation of Kids for Cash judge
Michael Conahan should be familiar with what goes into difficult decisions about crime and punishment and their effect on a person’s life. Conahan was a Temple-trained lawyer who spent 13 years as a Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas judge. For four years, he was the county’s president judge —...
Laurels & lances: Rescue & ratings
Laurel: To those who helped. Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was last seen Dec. 2, looking for her missing cat near Monday’s Union Restaurant near the village of Marguerite in Unity. About 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, a search began for Pollard, centered around a sinkhole into an abandoned mine nearby. The search went...
Editorial: Recommendations in wake of Trump Butler rally shooting fall short
The U.S. House of Representatives’ bipartisan Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump has released recommendations in a 180-page report. The task force, chaired by U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, was authorized in the aftermath of the July 13 shooting at Trump’s political rally at the Butler...
Editorial: Social media needs regulation, not one company ban
A federal appeals court Friday upheld a controversial law banning the U.S. operations of TikTok — the popular video-based social networking app owned by Chinese company ByteDance — unless it finds a U.S. buyer. That gives the company six weeks to keep fighting before the ax falls. This impacts a...
Editorial: How should police respond to mental health calls?
On Jan. 7, Susan Shepherd called the police. Her son Christopher Shepherd, 48, was in the grip of a psychiatric crisis. He had a kitchen knife. He barricaded himself in his Upper St. Clair home. It wasn’t the first time. Christopher Shepherd was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder....
Editorial: Biden’s pardon of his son betrays those who stand for the rule of law
When it comes to his son Hunter, Joe Biden is always a father first, a president second. Last Sunday, at the close of the Thanksgiving weekend and the warmth of family gatherings, Biden granted a full and unconditional pardon for his son’s convictions on tax evasion and gun-related charges. As...


Editor's Picks

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Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
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