Editorials category, Page 28

Violent crime in Pittsburgh has been a talking point in recent years. There have been businesses that have closed because of it. Far too many lives have been lost to it, from children sitting in cars to women waiting for buses. Gun crimes have even happened at the most unexpected...

Taxes are a fact of life. Nobody likes them. Everyone pays them — whether on purchases or income or property. We grumble and grouse, but in the end we know that they are the literal price we pay for being a part of our society. But does it have to...

Laurel: To a little piece of history. Opening a time capsule is like cracking the seal on the past. It isn’t like reading about what happened decades ago. It’s more like getting a call from an earlier version of yourself or taking a ride in a flying DeLorean. It’s a...

Pennsylvania has had trouble getting the job done with education this year. Funding for the various levels of schooling needs to be approved by the Legislature. The governor signs off on it. From there, funding flows into cities and boroughs and townships, doing the job of teaching the next generation...

Going to the hospital involves about as much paperwork as buying a house with a mortgage. You sign for permission to treat. You check a box to acknowledge federal laws regarding data privacy. Another paper details history. One — or more — will document insurance and financial responsibility. Who is...

If you see someone in orange this week, it’s not likely a Bengals or Browns fan, not during hunting season in Pennsylvania. For decades, the Keystone State traditionally celebrated the first day of deer season as not so much holiday as holy day on the Monday after Thanksgiving. That changed...

Here we go again. In 2020, the question of dates became a major part of the ballot counting process. When mail-in ballots were sent in by Pennsylvania voters, they had to be placed in a security envelope. That envelope was then put inside another envelope for mailing. It was part...

Once again, Pennsylvania legislators, judges and elected executives, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, will start the new year with a nice increase in salary. The paychecks in question will go up 3.5% in 2024. That’s downright economical when compared with this year’s 7.8% spike or the 5.6% in 2022. After about...

Pennsylvania seems set to end 2023 the same way it began: with a special election on the horizon. After the 2022 election, the Democrats appeared to have the majority in the House of Representatives. That was only theoretical, as three key seats in Allegheny County needed to go back to...

Between 2018 and 2022, many of the states with high rates of poverty — Oklahoma, New York — were also the states that suffered the most damage from extreme weather. A new climate study indicates things are going to get worse for those places and for poor people. The federal...

Laurel: To a not-so-fond farewell. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ performance on the football field this season has not exactly lived up to the organization’s storied history. It’s an unfortunate reality that has prompted fans to call for heads. They blame quarterback Kenny Picket. They blame head coach Mike Tomlin. But, more...

What are you thankful for? Is it the people who will gather around your table? Is it the ability to provide the food that will fill the plates? Perhaps it is your job or your home. Maybe it is something that makes life a little more enjoyable — a new...

There are certain things that are a part of the pop culture fabric of Thanksgiving. Keep an eye out for local marching bands in the Macy’s parade. Cheer for football — even if we don’t care about Detroit or Green Bay, Washington or Dallas, San Francisco or Seattle. Hold that...

It might seem like politics is utterly binary. It is black and white — or more aptly, Democratic blue and Republican red. The increasingly ugly and polarized divides at every level of government bear that out. People bracing themselves for uncomfortable conversations with relatives on Thanksgiving is another measure. But...

Coeducational learning has a complicated history in America, and it always has. Harvard opened its doors in 1636. It went without saying that this classically English college, intended to educate Puritan ministers, was focused solely on teaching men. The University of Pennsylvania was the first college in the Keystone State....

Pennsylvania residents should expect a certain degree of openness from the institutions that serve them. Lawmakers should not just debate legislation openly, but they also should be crystal clear about the funding that keeps them in office. Counties and municipalities should govern in the light of day. School district decisions...

Laurel: To having a plan. It was almost a year ago that the Second Avenue Commons shelter opened in Pittsburgh, providing an option for homeless residents to stay warm and protected from the elements. Within days, Allegheny County announced the facility had hit capacity. The obvious need made it concerning...

Pensions for state employees and teachers have been a wrench in the gears of Pennsylvania government for decades. In 2001, Gov. Tom Ridge signed a law that expanded pensions for those employees by 25% — and even more for state lawmakers. He was thrilled to do it, saying it was...

Sometimes the names of things have to change because they just don’t fit the information anymore. The term “shell shock” was created during World War I to explain the symptoms of soldiers suffering from a constellation of symptoms suffered in the wake of battle. As more became known about the...

It is exhausting to be politically important. Pennsylvanians have barely recovered from the 2022 U.S. Senate campaign between then-Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on the Democratic side and Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz. That was followed by Fetterman’s post-inaugural hospitalization for depression. Then there was the controversy over his penchant for...

State Rep. Abby Major isn’t looking to make exotic pets illegal in Pennsylvania. She knows people like their boa constrictors and tarantulas and potentially enormous reptiles. But the 60th District legislator would like to enforce a little more responsibility. She has introduced legislation to make the law have a little...

Pennsylvanians can use marijuana for anxiety or epilepsy. They can use it to ease the side effects of chemotherapy or the symptoms of post-traumatic stress. There are 23 different medical conditions that will qualify someone for a card allowing them to access medical marijuana. There is one reason that is...

Like Pennsylvania’s population overall, the veteran population is aging. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 37.1% of veterans are senior citizens. The largest group at 41.2% is those aged 45 to 64, meaning those approaching or planning for retirement. Only 21% are under age 45. That means more...

Laurel: To doing your duty. Off-year elections are often sluggish things with little interest or involvement, but not this time. On Tuesday, voters stepped up and did their part. They made choices and cast ballots in ways that had real impact statewide, in both Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, in school...

For 74 years, Pennsylvania public school teachers could be penalized for wearing a cross or a crucifix, a Star of David or a crescent moon hanging from a necklace. There could be no symbols for any religion on clothing or jewelry because of a law passed in 1949. That will...