Laurels & lances: Farm & fruit
Laurel: To a resolution. The confusion has ended. The Ligonier Country Market will return this year. It just won’t be in the same place. Since January, one of Westmoreland County’s most popular summer traditions has been looking for a home. The end of its longtime relationship with the Loyalhanna Watershed...
Editorial: Data centers demand planning, not panic
All too often, an unexpected new addition to a community becomes controversial only after it’s too late to do anything about it. By the time residents are packing hearing rooms and officials are scrambling for answers, developers already have purchased land, filed plans and invested money. Emotions rise quickly. Practical...
Editorial: Political violence demands coordinated response
Government responds to the threats that are expected. In California, that means building codes anticipate earthquakes. In Florida, emergency management plans for hurricanes. And now, Pennsylvania must prepare for political violence. State police are creating a unit to address threats against elected officials. The move comes after the arrest of...
Editorial: Don’t forget about ballot questions
Pushing people to the polls is what we do every year, twice a year. In the event of special elections, it might even be more. But primaries are different. It’s not about making sure every voter shows up because not every voter is involved. It’s getting Democrats and Republicans to...
Editorial: Senate votes to defer pay during future shutdowns
Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on much these days, but you can bet they share an aversion to political suicide. Consider this week’s Senate vote on a bill related to government shutdowns. On Wednesday, members of the upper chamber adopted a resolution to withhold their pay — most make $174,000...
Editorial: The practical price of paid parental leave
The idea that longer parental leave would be best for people is not up for debate. The data is unimpeachable. Longer leave with guaranteed pay after welcoming a child improves outcomes for parents and children alike. But what is best and what is feasible are not always the same thing....
Editorial: Do Wecht, Fetterman, Catena point to changing Democratic party?
In 2025, as Pennsylvania’s most contentious judicial retention campaign ever burned across the state, Pittsburgh native David N. Wecht was one of three Supreme Court justices fighting to remain on the bench. All three were Democrats. That is no longer true. On Monday, Wecht announced he had changed his voter...
Laurels & lances: Teaching, feeding & moving
Laurel: To making progress. Indiana University of Pennsylvania jumped a hurdle this week when it received pre-accreditation status for its College of Osteopathic Medicine. That means IUP can begin recruiting students and preparing for classes to start in fall 2027. If all goes according to plan, the school would become...
Editorial: Asphalt, oil and the high cost of smooth roads
Planning a government budget — large or small — requires a little clairvoyance. Not only does it demand looking back at the history of what was needed, but there also has to be a crystal ball to anticipate the unpredictable. One of the most prominent examples is road maintenance. Clear,...
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...
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...
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: 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...
Editorial: Eds and meds not immune to financial complications
Pittsburgh is a city that built itself on steel. When that industry faltered, the city didn’t buckle. It reinvented itself with eds and meds — a new identity constructed around health care and the universities that train medical professionals. That can feel safer than the fluctuations of manufacturing. History shows...
Laurels & lances: Building up & breaking down
Laurel: To a regional reality. The University of Pittsburgh is making a significant investment in students at its regional campuses. Beginning this fall, Pitt will cover tuition at its Greensburg, Bradford, Johnstown and Titusville campuses for students whose families make $75,000 or less annually. The move is designed to make...
Editorial: Books, boards and balance of power at Pine-Richland
The Pine-Richland School Board took up its policy on library books again this week. By a 5-4 vote, the board revised its policy, something that has been a hot topic in the district in recent years. It limited to parents and guardians formal challenges to the policy. It restored a...
Editorial: Rising electric bills leave Pennsylvanians powerless
Electricity isn’t a luxury. It’s a critical part of daily life — especially in a state where many people rely on it for heat. Losing power is disruptive. People are reminded of that every time a storm knocks out the grid. But for many Pennsylvanians, the bigger threat isn’t losing...
Editorial: Losing single carrier Spirit is bananas for Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Gros Michel bananas may have been the perfect fruit. They were not just tasty. They grew in bunches ideal for shipping, with thick skins that protected the creamy white flesh all the way to American tables. Unfortunately, they were not resistant to disease. After decades of dominating the international produce...
Editorial: Smile, you’re on candid camera. Whether you like it or not
Recalling the “Candid Camera” of yore, we can still remember the reactions from folks who had no idea they were being filmed. Allen Funt’s prescient reality TV show may be long gone from the airwaves, but in its place is a wave of always-on technology that can make anyone a...
Editorial: The civic value of a little night market
The lack of foot traffic in downtown areas is something many Pennsylvania communities are facing. It’s hard to attract visitors to a place where storefronts are dark and the conversation revolves around how to bring them back to life. That’s what makes something like the Greensburg Night Market worth noting...
Editorial: If Zappala would just say it, why seal it?
Prosecutors often attempt to keep portions of an investigation under wraps. It is a routine part of the job and, at times, a necessary one. That was the argument the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office made in court this week, pushing back against suggestions a search warrant should be unsealed....
Laurels & lances: Plans & pitfalls
Laurel: To planning ahead. Pittsburgh knew more than a year out that the 2026 NFL Draft would happen in the Steel City. It was an event expected to deluge the city with out-of-towners for three days — more if you consider the crews of people coming ahead to set things...
Editorial: Was NFL Draft a failed fundraiser or a promotional bargain?
OK, the 2026 NFL Draft was a week ago. It’s time to ask the big question. Was it worth it? That depends on two things: perspective and expectation. According to the NFL, the Pittsburgh draft was the most well-attended in history. It dwarfed the drafts in Las Vegas, Green Bay...
Editorial: Security should not be political
Yet again, political violence is demanding attention. In 2025, an arsonist scaled a fence, slipped past security and set fire to the governor’s residence in Harrisburg while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside during Passover. The attack forced them to flee and left the home badly damaged. In...
Editorial: Do rigid public comment rules help?
Public comment periods are meant to let people talk to the government. Sometimes it’s about actions that are happening or decisions that are pending. Sometimes it’s about bringing problems to the government’s attention. A comment period is one mechanism municipalities, school boards and other agencies can use to make that...
