Editorial: Warsh looks like a smart choice for the Fed … for now
The nomination of Kevin Warsh as next chair of the Federal Reserve is good news. He’s amply qualified for the role, having served as a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011. He has argued throughout for the central bank to narrow its focus to controlling inflation and to rely less...
Editorial: Fixing the Sunshine Act’s notice problem
Since 1957, Pennsylvania has codified a responsibility to make public meetings accessible to the people. The state law also evolved, eventually becoming what is now known as the Sunshine Act. The earlier Open Meetings Law required only the most basic transparency. If a vote was taken, the meeting had to...
Editorial: U.S. protection must not end at the border
On July 30, 2022, Marc Fogel’s name first appeared on this opinion page. It would not be the last. The Butler County native and Pittsburgh resident was a recurring topic in editorials for four years as TribLive did two things: We kept the story of his detention in a Russian...
Laurels & lances: Truth & consequences
Laurel: To local lore. A long-overlooked land grant tied to Upper Burrell offers a tangible reminder that the nation’s founding era was not confined to famous cities or grand halls of debate. Signed by Benjamin Franklin, the document connects the area directly to the practical work of building a new...
Editorial: Different places, different faces of homelessness
Homelessness is a problem people often try not to see. There are places where that takes effort. In urban areas, homelessness is more visible — in park encampments and on sidewalks, where people learn to look past it. That is homelessness in Pittsburgh, much as it is in New York...
Editorial: Frozen rivers are not playgrounds
Snow days make you want to be out in the stinging wind, feeling the crunch of drifts under your boots, making angels on the lawn and building a fort to fight off your friends with a volley of solidly packed snowballs. It is the quintessential winter memory, the one adults...
Editorial: Immigration action is no distant story
On Thursday morning across Southwestern Pennsylvania, many families were going through the same familiar ritual. Breakfasts were eaten. Winter coats and backpacks were wrangled. Parents and children headed out the door expecting an ordinary start to an ordinary day. But as Hariett Flores was starting her day in Oakmont, that...
Editorial: News on dementia is a call to action for our future
The latest report on CTE is both enlightening and alarming. A groundbreaking study from Boston University researchers found that those with CTE have a much higher chance of being diagnosed with dementia. The largest study of its kind from the Boston University CTE Center reveals that the progressive brain disease...
Editorial: Elections don’t wait for a spotlight to matter
Everyone knows 2026 is an important election year. It is a midterm, carrying the familiar post-presidential pressure that takes the political temperature of the country. In Pennsylvania, it is also a gubernatorial year. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the presumptive Republican nominee, recently secured an endorsement from President Donald Trump, and...
Editorial: Reliable funding matters more than generosity
Thirty-one years is a long time for any vehicle to remain in service. More than 100,000 miles takes a toll. That is not what you want when lives are on the line. And yet that was the backdrop for a donation this week — a well-worn ambulance in need of...
Laurels & lances: Digging out & digging in
Laurel: To real-life learning. When winter storms dropped more than a foot of snow across Southwestern Pennsylvania, young people responded the same way — by getting to work. Members of Valley Jr.-Sr. High School’s ski club traded skis for shovels, spending afternoons clearing heavily used bus stops in New Kensington...
Editorial: Why phasing out French is a lesson in local control
Public education is at the intersection of individual growth and collective responsibility. Schools exist to help students become their best selves while also preparing them to contribute to the economic and social life of their communities. That balance is not always comfortable. Serving one goal can feel like sacrificing the...
Editorial: Fetterman, McCormick and why ICE matters in Pennsylvania
U.S. Sen. David McCormick is among Republicans calling for a full accounting in the Minneapolis death of Alex Pretti, 37, a Veterans Administration intensive care nurse who was shot during an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. “We need all the facts,” he said. McCormick is joined — to...
Editorial: By the time it’s an emergency, it’s already too late
By the time the snow begins to fall, the most important decisions already have been made. When it’s time to clear the driveway, it’s too late to buy a shovel. You can see that after a massive winter storm swept across 17 states, closing schools, snarling roads and forcing public...
Editorial: The number of Americans who feel politically homeless is rising. Understandably so
A record 45% of American adults now identify as political independents, according to new Gallup polling — up from 33% in 1990. That’s a big change. As the ranks of the politically homeless grow, the share of Americans who call themselves Democrat or Republican continues to shrink. That’s hardly surprising....
Editorial: ‘The Pitt’ shows why representation includes place
“Did you see on ‘The Pitt’…?” It’s becoming a regular refrain after the HBO Max medical series airs Thursdays. Each episode, set in a fictional Pittsburgh hospital, becomes a scavenger hunt of familiar yinzer treasures. The most recent included references to the Pittsburgh synagogue shootings and Zambelli Fireworks. Others have...
Editorial: Filling Downtown is more than empty gesture
When hundreds of thousands of people descend on Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft in April, they should be greeted by a spruced-up Steel City. The landmark fountain at Point State Park has recently undergone a $3.4 million upgrade. Market Square is in the midst of a $15 million face-lift. And...
Laurels & lances: Legacy & loss
Laurel: To a tradition of commitment. Communities function not only on the jobs done by employees but also on the work people volunteer to do. And that public service does not always end with a retirement date — or stop with one generation. Butch Michalowski officially stepped down as chief...
Editorial: Inmate transport carries costs, no matter who does it
The Westmoreland County sheriff is asking a judge to rescind a 2006 court order that requires sheriff’s deputies to transport county inmates to and from magisterial district courts, claiming it could save taxpayers more than $250,000 a year in overtime. Sheriff James Albert is not wrong in saying Westmoreland relies...
Editorial: Can we talk? Colleges invest in civil discourse
Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh are spending nearly $5 million to teach students how to talk to one another. IUP received a $2.29 million federal grant to create a Center for Dialogue and Civic Life. Pitt was awarded about $2.7 million to build a regional model...
Editorial: If you believed the McRib was a real rib, we have some chicken nuggets to sell you
Another day, another class-action lawsuit, this time about what kind of meat is in a sandwich. Four lead plaintiffs, including Chicagoan Dorien Baker, are suing McDonald’s, claiming the fast-food giant is misleading customers over what kind of meat it uses in its cult classic “McRib” sandwich. “Despite its name and...
Editorial: What Fetterman said — and what people heard — about ICE
The deadly shooting Jan. 7 of a Minneapolis woman by a federal immigration agent has provoked intense reactions across the political spectrum and sharp calls for change. In moments like these, anger and grief often fuel demands for sweeping action — and that is neither surprising nor illegitimate. Against that...
Editorial: An airport needs a plan, not a wish
Once upon a time, there was a small, regional airport in Westmoreland County. It had steady passenger traffic, popular leisure routes and a loyal base of travelers who appreciated skipping the long drive and long lines elsewhere. For years, that story held. Flights came and went. Suitcases rolled through the...
Laurels & lances: Animals & ambulances
Laurel: To new ways of thinking. For many community leaders, animal control is treated as just that — controlling the animals. Pick them up when they become a problem, hand them off to someone else to deal with however they choose, and move on. Delmont is joining a growing number...
Editorial: Economic development can’t be built on ifs and maybes
In August 2020, Hempfield supervisors approved plans for a 250,000-square-foot home improvement store along Route 30 near Westmoreland Mall. Nearly five years later, the project has yet to move beyond the proposal stage. Why? It’s not as if Wisconsin-based Menards is unfamiliar with building. Supplying construction materials is its business....
