Editorials category, Page 64
Editorial: No masking the opioid epidemic that’s destroying lives
The coronavirus pandemic stole the spotlight in 2020, but it was not the only epidemic threatening lives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the opioid crisis didn’t just fade into the background while people worried about masks, respirators and social distancing. The 2020 numbers hit a record...
Editorial: A reform that promotes and respects police professionalism
P olice departments across Pennsylvania have a new law to enforce. This law is a little different than most. It is one they will have to enforce against themselves. It requires police departments to participate in a database that keeps track of complaints and misconduct allegations against officers. The goal...
Laurels & lances: Scooters, seller, saviors
Laurel: To a new way to move. The City of Pittsburgh is planning to get people up and running with a Move PGH pilot program launching in the Manchester neighborhood. The program will put 100 electric scooters in use to push the city’s efforts for Universal Basic Mobility — a...
Editorial: A compounded error on unemployment payments requires state to come clean
The government is trusted with a lot just because it is the government. It is easy to balance your checkbook and figure out if the bank overcharged you for a fee. It isn’t hard to glance over your receipt from Walmart to make sure that you weren’t charged for two...
Editorial: Giving constables an updated role in local law enforcement
Do you know what a constable is and exactly where the position falls in the tangle of law enforcement and court duties in Pennsylvania? No? You aren’t alone. The position is something of a relic — a leftover from a time before police departments, when sheriffs could be far removed...
Editorial: Recognize the need for low-income senior housing
The percentage of people over 65 living in poverty is not as high as it used to be. According to the Congressional Research Service, the slice of the senior population living in the lowest income brackets has dropped by two-thirds over the last 50 years. In 2019, it was just...
Editorial: The inspiring example of the lemonade stand of Yukon
Over the last year, a lot of people have wondered about the skills and knowledge that children haven’t learned because of the coronavirus pandemic’s disruption of the education system. Sure, kids were going to school remotely or masked and at a distance from their peers. But the 2020-21 school year...
Editorial: State prison system takes necessary step with dementia unit
Pennsylvania has a prison problem, and it’s not the one most people think. Yes, like most states and like the federal government, the Keystone State has a lot of people behind bars. The most recent population report for the Department of Corrections has just under 40,000 people in the state’s...
Editorial: Adding insult to unemployment fraud injury
Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation program has been a problem for years. While some states have struggled under the burden of a massive increase in claims during the coronavirus pandemic, in Pennsylvania, that was only half the story. The system itself has been a problematic labyrinth. It was hard to apply. It...
Laurels & lances: Hot tickets, hot topic, hot dog
Laurel: To a rash of good luck. Everyone who buys a lottery ticket has that moment of hope and imagination, dreaming of walking away with the big prize. Lately, though, it seems like a lot of those big prizes are popping up in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It started in May. The...
Editorial: Celebrate local libraries as they emerge, and value their role
Libraries frequently are underappreciated services. They shouldn’t be. The coronavirus pandemic was not the first time that public or community libraries have seen their doors close in the face of a crisis. It probably will not be the last — although you would think that, at some point, the powers...
Editorial: Everyone’s health depends on nurses on call
When it comes to essential employees, there are a lot of positions that come to mind. During the pandemic, people came to realize how much they depend on grocery store stockers and fast food workers. Most parents came to look at teachers with new appreciation. Day care providers, bus drivers,...
Editorial: Westmoreland voters deserve straight answers on elections bureau
Westmoreland County commissioners need to be more forthright about what is happening in the elections bureau. This is becoming a very familiar topic. We have discussed it as three people in the office’s leadership have left under largely undisclosed circumstances in the last year. We have revisited it three times...
Editorial: The blood you give sustains the life we lead
For blood to do its job, you have to have enough to stay in circulation. That goes for blood inside the body — taking oxygen from the lungs to the heart and back again. It also goes for the blood that circulates out in the world. Having enough blood to...
Editorial: The legal lessons of the Cosby debacle
Bill Cosby is at home now, free from SCI Phoenix for the first time in more than two years after a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision Wednesday overturned his sexual assault conviction. The move did not come because of new evidence or something that fell apart in the case that sent...
Laurels & lances: Opening early, taking too long
Laurel: To exceeding expectations. Remember last week when we gave a lance to the crash on the Tarentum Bridge? The one that happened right there in the middle of the construction project that was already complicating everyone’s commuting? It was going to delay reopening of the bridge amid the $3.24...
Editorial: Remove the mystery around Westmoreland elections bureau
The position of Westmoreland County Elections Bureau Director is up for grabs again. Officially now. It’s been almost three weeks since JoAnn Sebastiani was suspended with pay on June 8. Since then, the county commissioners have done little but confirm her absence while remaining tight-lipped on the reasoning. Until Tuesday,...
Editorial: Some drug laws catch wrong targets
The world of illegal substances can create webs of other social or legal problems — child or domestic abuse, theft, assault, death. Those problems then have to be handled by the government, which can mean new laws being written or old ones being tweaked. Yet government involvement almost always means...
Editorial: The Steelers and Saint Vincent belong together
The coronavirus pandemic isn’t done with the economic gut punches yet. As more and more people have been vaccinated, the covid-19 precautions have been slowly rolled back. On Monday, Pennsylvania’s mask mandate was lifted. That means the state isn’t requiring the unvaccinated to wear masks in public places anymore. Individual...
Editorial: Exotic pets call for logical local regulation
Pennsylvania has rules about animals. There’s a whole Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. Many others fall under the Department of Agriculture’s umbrella. State law can be brought to bear in cases of neglect or cruelty. Local ordinances can come into play, too. They regulate how people are required to handle...
Editorial: Another sweet, but legal, perk for state legislators
A per diem is an amount of money that an employer will give someone to cover expenses for a business-related trip. Unless you have a very specific job where travel is required, it’s not usually the kind of thing that becomes a big part of your paycheck. But then there...
Editorial: Trust (but verify) local police with speed radar
You’re cruising down the interstate. Maybe you’re going a little bit faster than you should be. Maybe not. But if you catch a glimpse of a state trooper’s cruiser, you probably ease up on the gas, just in case. It might be that you know the Pennsylvania state police use...
Laurels & lances: Attitude, delay and entertainment
Laurel: To a positive outlook. When Sara Belt of Unity was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at 53, it could have been a crushing blow for her and her family. Instead, she chose to be appreciative of the answers the diagnosis gave for her symptoms. Three years later — when estimates...
Editorial: Don’t fall for a phony ‘forensic audit’ of 2020 election
How long does the 2020 presidential election need to haunt Pennsylvania politics? Almost seven months after the polls closed in November, the state is still being harangued by questions of whether or not to count the ballots yet again. Former President Trump — who lost Pennsylvania and then the White...
Editorial: The dual good causes of local fire departments
Volunteer fire companies play two valuable roles in most Pennsylvania communities. First, they are an irreplaceable service. They do more than douse flames, as if that wouldn’t be enough. They rush into emergencies that aren’t burning buildings. They respond to car crashes and natural disasters. They save us from acts...
