Editorial: People carry burden of Spirit departure
The consequences of war, economic policy and big business make headlines. They get talked about on cable news shows. They are discussed in board rooms and government hearings. Those are big-picture topics. They matter on a macro scale but can be hard for people to connect to their communities. The...
James Weinstein: How the waste in healthcare drives the U.S. debt
Washington treats healthcare spending like a moral obligation and interest payments like an accounting nuisance. They’re linked: Federal spending that is wasted in the healthcare system forces higher taxes or more borrowing, leaving less money for Medicare, defense or anything else. To slow deficit spending and the ballooning costs of...
Kevin Walker: How to save billions in energy bills
Groceries, rent, gas, childcare. Everything costs more these days, leaving many families struggling to pay their bills every month. The surging price of generated electricity is adding to this tremendous financial burden. As Duquesne Light Company is responsible for seeking the lowest-priced power for our more than 600,000 customers in...
Editorial: Smart policy for drone technology
Progress has always impacted the way police operate. Radios changed communication. Patrol cars changed response times. Computers changed investigations and record keeping. Cellphones, databases and body cameras all reshaped modern policing. Today we are faced with technology moving at light speed, creating a new landscape for how law enforcement does...
Letter to the editor: Trump should send us all $2,000
During the 2020 covid pandemic President Biden sent most Americans checks for $1,400. Now that we are in a conflict with Iran and gasoline is approaching $5 a gallon, maybe President Trump can issue most Americans, especially those folks on Social Security, checks for $2,000. Politicians like catchy names, so...
Letter to the editor: Ligonier Country Market
I find it sad that the Ligonier Country Market has come to an end due to the politics of the town. It will hurt the businesses, as people went in town afterwards or during the market for lunch or shopping trips every Saturday during the season. It will hurt local...
Letter to the editor: Politicians’ vulgarities
In regards to the recent use of vulgarities coming from some of our politicians: What is it going to take for these representatives to come to terms with their lack of grasping the English language? I’m not a prude, but I do know when and where this type of behavior...
Letter to the editor: Injustice exists in Westmoreland County
Daniel Berrigan warned that injustice operates like a “machinery” — systems that keep moving because people stop questioning them. That machinery is not distant. It exists here in Westmoreland County. We often assume our institutions are neutral. They are not. Systems are carried out by people, and human judgment is...
Editorial: A clean debate on emissions inspection
Pennsylvanians deserve clean air. Everyone does. That’s not up for debate. The state requires cars to be inspected annually to be legal to drive. In 25 counties, particularly around more densely populated centers like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, there is an additional emissions inspection. Double the stickers. Double the cost. Last...
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 11
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 11....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 11
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 11....
Lisa Jarvis: Psychedelics’ trip to mainstream medicine comes with risk
The White House directive to put psychedelics on a regulatory fast track is at once welcome and worrisome. The attention to psychedelics is overdue, and there’s a real opportunity to build a stronger scientific base for a promising field. Yet this area of medicine also demands extra care — or...
Frederic J. Fransen: How the American Revolution created a great trading nation
We think of wars as conflicts between militaries, decided by force. However, as the German military theorist Carl von Clausewitz famously said, “War is … an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will.” We see this in the current conflict with Iran. The United States has...
Editorial: The courage to reach out
There are times when it seems there is nothing to do — when something terrible has happened and all there is to offer is helpless despair. The five-car crash Wednesday near Fort Duquesne Bridge was that kind of moment. Yes, there were people who could be helped. Yes, there were...
Paul Hardart: The Ted Turner I knew bet on what others missed
Ted Turner died Wednesday at 87, and the world feels a little less interesting, a little less imaginative and a little less fun without him in it — but also a lot better off because he was here. After hearing the news of his passing, one moment came to mind...
Ron Klink: Democrats should go bigger on insurance reform
Healthcare costs are crushing Americans. The average premium for an employer-sponsored family health plan now exceeds $26,000 a year — and families are then still on the hook for ever-higher deductibles and out-of-
pocket bills. Nearly four in 10 Americans have delayed or skipped care because they couldn’t afford it. When...
Letter to the editor: Asthma is often treated, not managed
Picture a child in Pittsburgh returning to the emergency room, struggling to breathe despite using a prescribed inhaler. This cycle is common across Western Pennsylvania. At Breathe PA, we work with individuals, families and communities to build the skills needed to manage asthma daily, including how to use medications correctly,...
Dwight Boddorf: America at 250 — the republic will be won or lost on your street
In 2026, the United States turns 250 years old. Pennsylvania will be at the center of that celebration, as it should be. The ideas that became America were debated here, printed here and defended by ordinary people who believed self-government was worth the risk. But as we celebrate, we should...
Letter to the editor: Welcome back to Robby Incmikoski
I caught the “Riverhounds Coaches Show” by accident one night on SportsNet Pittsburgh. What a surprise to see a very familiar face — Robby Incmikoski — hosting what turned out to be the inaugural show. I’m not the biggest soccer fan, but I honestly enjoyed the program. He hasn’t lost...
Letter to the editor: We must protect our way of life from Democrats
The Democrats, the liberals and the woke, in my opinion, are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They profess peace and love and the protection of democracy, but they do it with lies, hate and violence. They teach our children that socialism and communism are the future of America. Protesters wreak havoc...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s violent rhetoric
A small sample of President Trump’s violent rhetoric: • 2016 rally: “Knock the crap out of” protesters; “I will pay for the legal fees.” • 2020 Oval Office: He allegedly asked officials in his administration about shooting protesters in the legs. • 2021 Select Committee testimony: He stated that when...
Letter to the editor: Destruction of mankind
Anyone who is familiar with “Star Trek: The Next Generation” should be familiar with the Borg, cybernetic organisms linked through a central hive called the collective. Substitute the word “controlled human” for Borg with the central hive being data centers. America is experiencing a huge surge of data centers, driven...
Letter to the editor: What’s involved in ICE ‘agreement’?
Sheriff James Albert’s agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Westmoreland County supposedly does not include reimbursement, according to his letter “Agreements vs. contracts for sheriff’s department” (May 1, TribLive). However, under President Trump’s new DHS program, local law enforcement officers entering into a 287(g) Agreement with ICE...
Letter to the editor: Mental health staff critical at Allegheny County Jail
Periodically, the Allegheny County Jail intake staff experience an absence of mental health staff on the night shift causing some major concerns. County jail suicide prevention specialists such as Lindsay Hayes believe the first 48 hours of a person entering a jail is critical in assessing risks of suicide. The...
Letter to the editor: Let’s join together and return to decency
“To my mind, to kill in war is not a whit better than to commit ordinary murder.” These are the words and peaceful sentiment of Albert Einstein. At the opposite end of the spectrum we have the White House felon’s horrifying threat to Iran: “A whole civilization will die tonight,...
