Editorials category, Page 44

There is a difference between a place where you live and a place you call home. You can live anywhere. It might be a mansion or a tent. It could be one room with a bed or 2,000 square feet with two bathrooms and an attached garage. It might be...

There is a difference between votes and money. Or at least there should be. The overlap has existed forever, which is unsurprising. When the country was founded, it wasn’t just that white men where the only ones who could vote. They also had to be rich enough to own land,...

If you want a measure of how far off the beaten path we have gotten when it comes to facts, look no further than Pennsylvania. Is that bar about the 2020 election? Is it the endless parade of ads for next month’s gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections that are stretching...

Laurel: To new partnerships. With the financial accessibility of a college education being such an issue, combined with the many higher education institutions that are important job creators in Pennsylvania communities, a newly brokered deal could be a problem solver. Westmoreland County Community College is joining with Carlow University to...

It should go without saying that banning books is no way to learn — or teach. And yet, for the past few years, banning books has hit its heyday. The topic keeps coming up via protests that seem to be more political than educational. Sometimes it is a particular text...

In just two months shy of 40 years, Anthony DeLuca saw a lot in Harrisburg. When he took office in 1982 representing the people of the 32nd District in the state House of Representatives, Richard Thornburgh was governor. DeLuca’s Democratic Party held the majority in the House, while the Republicans...

A high court justice dies. It leaves a hole on the bench. Normally that’s a simple fix. Point to a replacement. Go through the process. Swear on a Bible. Done. But throw in an election, and you have a real wrench in the gears. This all sounds familiar, doesn’t it?...

Sometimes compromise is a good thing. It brings people together on a middle ground where everyone can agree to work together. That’s how houses are sold, with people arriving at a price one party is willing to pay and the other is willing to accept. That’s how employment contracts are...

Radon could be almost anywhere. You can’t see it like smoke. It is colorless and transparent. You can’t smell it like a gas leak. It gives off no telltale scent. You can’t feel it in the air like the moisture of a foggy day. It is as stealthy as it...

Naloxone is a life saver. There is no way around it. There are few drugs that even in the most untrained hands have the ability to flip the switch on a medical emergency. It can pull someone away from the edge of a deadly narcotic overdose and give a second...

Laurel: To an urge to help. It will take a while for Florida to recover from Hurricane Ian. The storm that slammed into the Fort Myers and Cape Coral areas at Category 4 strength last week is projected to be the most deadly and costly hurricane in decades. It was...

Imagine you have fallen into a hole. You have no way out on your own. You can’t climb out. You have no tools at your disposal. You’re stuck — and to make matters worse, it looks like you can’t stay put either. There’s water coming in, rising fast and threatening...

The criminal legal system is built on the balance of power between the prosecution and defense. The sides are meant to be as equal as possible in a process that is far from perfect but is still a formula for prosecution and defense to do their part to arrive at...

With 2022 moving into October, it enters a predictable season. No, not Halloween. Not the relentless march to the end-of-year holidays. Not the chilly transition to fall and then winter. Taxes. Specifically, it’s time for municipalities to start talking about budgets and whether they will raise the amount of tax...

Pennsylvania is filled with natural beauty. The rivers. The forests. The mountains. The state is teeming with wildlife from the valleys of the southwest to the Appalachian peaks of the north-central region and the slopes to the sea of the Chesapeake watershed. It’s a vital part of what makes the...

There was little question that the coronavirus pandemic would have widespread ramifications. It would hit the economy. It would hit social services. It would hit government and retail, and let’s not forget hospitals. But from the beginning, one of the main concerns was how it would impact education. The answer...

If you are a Westmoreland County voter who uses the drop box at the courthouse to cast your ballot, you are out of luck. On Wednesday, a plan to provide that option again died. It wasn’t that it was voted down. Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher put it on the table....

Laurel: To a grand gourd. Westmoreland County made a good showing with a super squash. Eric Gunstrom of Harrison City was awarded first place in the 58th annual Barnesville, Ohio, Pumpkin Festival with a monster vegetable weighing in at 2,405 pounds. It took an investment of about 30 hours per...

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year. It is the start of the High Holy Days — a time of celebration and a time to revel in the honeyed sweetness of life and goodness of God. It is marked by the phrase “Shanah tovah,” meaning “good year.” This year, Rosh...

Gov. Tom Wolf is taking a step back and following a new path in getting a Pennsylvania court to agree that a package of amendments proposed by the state Legislature didn’t play by the rules. The governor took the recommendation of the state Supreme Court and backtracked to take his...

“Three shot at Kennywood.” “Man shot in McKeesport.” “One man fatally shot, one wounded in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.” “Vehicles struck by gunfire in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood.” “Two juveniles shot in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden. “ Those are the headlines from one weekend’s violence in the Pittsburgh area. Just one weekend. Why?...

The Pennsylvania Legislature has done a great job of streaming things that matter to lawmakers — namely their raises. The lawmakers have made sure those increases are simple and efficient. A cost of living adjustment has not just been optional; since 1995, it’s been the law. For almost 30 years,...

When is a public meeting public, and when can it be private? It’s a question we have pondered a lot — mostly because every level of government and variety of public agency seems to try the boundaries like kids testing a substitute teacher’s resolve. The Pennsylvania Sunshine Act is the...

When an elected official receives something, there are different ways to look at it. It might be a completely legal donation. These follow election laws and are documented accordingly. If you want to know if Person X donated to Politician Y, there is a database to search to find an...

Laurel: To moving ahead. The Tree of Life shooting happened in October 2018. The world hardly seems like the same place today, separated by so many things that have happened between then and now. Pittsburgh has a different mayor. The country has a different president. We saw huge losses and...