Editorials category, Page 62
Editorial: Workers keep economic machine going
In 2020, Labor Day was celebrated with a kind of asterisk. Sure, there could be relaxation, but amid a pandemic, it was a little tense. There could be picnics, but with masks and social distancing, they weren’t quite the same. There could be an honoring of the workforce, but it...
Editorial: No-excuse mail-in voting is the law of the land
Fourteen Pennsylvania lawmakers are taking a stand against the law that let voters cast ballots by mail without providing an excuse. The legislators claim it is unconstitutional and needs to be wiped off the books. The Republican state representatives come from all across the commonwealth and include Bob Brooks of...
Editorial: Westmoreland serves its residents with Open Meetings compliance
A lot of attention is given to the availability of public information through open records. Government has to be open to scrutiny to be fair and accountable. Open records are one of the best examples of that. Government agencies are built on paper trails that show relationships, agreements, obligations and...
Laurels & lances: Fiscal wisdom, humane gestures and a mystery rhino
Laurel: To careful deliberation. When it comes to money, it seems like government seldom needs any encouragement to plunge forward, planning first and finding a way to underwrite a project later. That makes it refreshing to see Jeannette content to let a pot of funds sit until the right way...
Editorial: Beware the regular flu while the novel coronavirus still circulates
There is a lot that should have been learned from the pandemic. How science can advance when government is a partner instead of a gatekeeper. How important transparent communication and trustworthy data are to a message’s acceptance. How much we depend on our least-paid workforce to get through our lives....
Editorial: PNC Bank shows how market forces drive minimum-wage growth
The changing wages of bottom-of-the-ladder jobs have been a talking point for months. From fast-food restaurants and gas stations to grocery stores and amusement parks, the way front-line and entry-level jobs are compensated has been a big part of response to the changing needs of the economy since the beginning...
Editorial: Mask mandate at WCCC deserved hearing by trustees first
Having masks prompt fights is nothing new. For more than a year, the coronavirus pandemic demand to wear masks at grocery stores or restaurants has led to fights that ended up going viral on YouTube and Facebook, if not actually finding their way into court. Masks disappeared in the spring...
Editorial: A new era for the Carrie Furnace beckons
Recycling is at its best when it doesn’t just reuse an original item but improves it. The former Carrie Furnace steelmaking site along the Monongahela River near Braddock is about to be a larger-than-life example of that as it is redeveloped for contemporary commercial use. The Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority...
Editorial: Why population counts should include prisoners — they live there
To count or not to count. That’s not quite the question pondered and decided last week by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission — the panel of lawmakers working on the nuts and bolts of redrawing legislative districts in reaction to the new census numbers. It isn’t about whether to count. It’s...
Editorial: So now the legislature is guardian of public health
In March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic erupted, Gov. Tom Wolf declared an emergency. It was the right move at the time. That does not, however, mean that every step Wolf has taken since has been on firm ground. There have been plenty of errors, both forced and unforced, in...
Laurels & lances: Corn, community and stepping up
Laurel: To kernels of kindness. The area has been dealing with increased food insecurity in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic for more than a year. Food banks have been hit hard, and donations are always welcome. But a special kind of donation required additional hands Wednesday when 30 volunteers...
Editorial: For Westmoreland workers, a confusing new math on raises
Percentages can be confusing things. They might seem simple at first blush. A penny is just 1% of a dollar. How hard is that to figure out? But anyone who has tried to figure out exactly how much their $100,000 house will cost over the lifetime of a mortgage and...
Editorial: The shame of Shuman Center’s demise
The Shuman Juvenile Detention Center no longer is licensed by the state of Pennsylvania. On Friday, the state Department of Human Services notified Allegheny County that the facility that houses minors involved in the justice system would have to make new arrangements for its residents and close by Sept. 18....
Editorial: A covid vaccine is fully approved — no excuses now
In December 2020, the first shots in the war against covid-19 were fired into the arms of health care workers with the emergency-use authorization of a vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech. Those were followed by another similar authorization for a Moderna vaccine two weeks later, and then in early 2021, Johnson &...
Editorial: Facts, not fame and fortune, important in court
Does the Westmoreland County district attorney offer different deals to people with famous names or bigger bank accounts than to average Joes who end up in the criminal court system? A recent filing makes that claim. According to defense attorney Robert Domenick, DA John Peck has shown different standards with...
Editorial: Golf good for economy, but state needs to be open
There are a lot of things that Pennsylvania’s government needs to underwrite. There are more than 3,000 schools, 14 state universities and four more state-affiliated universities. There are 24 prisons, more than 4,000 state police and three levels of state courts. State agencies do everything from supervising parks and forests...
Editorial: Westmoreland Fair fun is back
Is there anything more quintessentially summer than a county fair? It’s the kind of event that brings all of those snapshot memories of summertime fun into focus. Cotton candy. Blue ribbons. Funnel cake. Carnival rides. Midway games. The Westmoreland Fair runs through Aug. 28. For the next week, dads will...
Laurels & lances: Slippery Rock, rats and guns
Laurel: To a new school. There is nothing like a global medical crisis to make everyone realize exactly how crucial careers in medicine are. Thus it isn’t surprising to see Slippery Rock University taking the opportunity to better augment the workforce needs in those areas that were increasing even before...
Editorial: Foster care makes the key difference in a kid’s life
People have certain basic needs. A roof overhead. Clothes on their bodies. Food and water to fill their stomachs. These are the things that keep us alive. There is a comprehensive word for what brings this together: “home.” It’s both a place and a state of being. And for children,...
Editorial: School mask policies should be careful and consistent
Hopscotch is a game for recess and school playgrounds. It is a fun way for kids to test balance and skill and work out some wiggles in the middle of the day. It is not, however, a great way to run public health policy during a pandemic. Yet as the...
Editorial: Shine a spotlight on hazing that harms
On Friday, former Greater Latrobe Area Junior High wrestling coach Cary Lydic was acquitted of child endangerment and failure to report abuse in suspected hazing. The verdict was issued without explanation. There was no statement to say whether Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger felt the prosecution hadn’t met...
Editorial: The silver lining of unemployment aid ending
A ventilator is the last line of defense against covid-19’s assault on victims’ lungs. But when it comes to the economic impacts that have accompanied the coronavirus pandemic, that intensive care comes in another form: unemployment compensation. Until Sept. 4. That is when half a million Pennsylvanians will lose their...
Editorial: Census numbers chance for fair redistricting
The 2020 U.S. Census results are out, and Pennsylvania did what was expected. The population nudged up a bit, about 2.4%, but not enough to balance larger growth in other states such as Florida, Arizona and Colorado. That shift in where people are choosing to live will mean Pennsylvania, ever...
Editorial: What to learn from fining students for skipping vaccine?
West Virginia was the last state where covid-19 reared its head. While Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and more had patients test positive for the disease earlier in March 2020, it wasn’t until March 17 that the Mountaineer State had a confirmed case. More than a year later, its numbers remain low,...
Laurels & lances: Emergencies and environment
Laurel: To a life-saving gift. For many emergency medical service operations, staying ahead of expenses and up-to-date on equipment can be a tricky balance. A gift from the AHN Forbes Hospital Foundation has helped make that a little easier. Seven ambulance services in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have received a...
