Editorials category, Page 69
Editorial: The trouble with mandating paid sick leave
It is hard to ask more of small business. In the last year, businesses of all kinds have been stretched to the breaking point. And then they stretched further. And then many of them broke. The neighborhood bar. Swanky restaurants where you save up for a nice night out. Theaters...
Editorial: The day the schools closed down
It was supposed to be just 10 days. That was where it all started March 13, 2020. School superintendents across Pennsylvania had met in a teleconference with then-state Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera that morning about how to move forward as the coronavirus pandemic was going from something happening in...
Laurels & lances: Dancing, learning, connecting
Laurel: To ending the week on a high note. Everyone is excited when the school week comes to an end. But at Kiski Area Upper Elementary, one kid is spreading his enthusiasm to others. Cash “Big Sauce” Malobicky is a sixth grader who loves to dance. He might have been...
Editorial: Keep a tight spending rein on Pennsylvania’s stimulus share
It’s important to learn to live within your means — especially when a windfall seems to change the arithmetic. You might be approved for a $300,000 mortgage, but you don’t have the spend the whole line. You could spend that $2,000 tax return on the down payment for a new...
Editorial: The Diocese of Greensburg, 70 years young
On March 10, 1951, Pope Pius XII created the Diocese of Greensburg. If a parish is the spiritual house of a Catholic, a diocese is a kind of religious municipality. It is the governmental unit of the Catholic Church — larger than a city, smaller than a state. Greensburg is...
Editorial: When local live music restarts, be there to applaud
Music that reflects the life and love and pain of its people has been a part of Southwestern Pennsylvania from its earliest days. It is the fifes and drums of early settlements and the old standards of Stephen Foster. It is the doo-wop of the Del Vikings, the urbane jazz...
Editorial: Women military veterans have earned special recognition
March is Women’s History Month, which often means things that call attention to women and their contributions might be put in the spotlight for four short weeks — and then forgotten. A new Pennsylvania effort will keep women in the high beams for the whole year. The Pennsylvania Department of...
Editorial: Keep on rolling up sleeves for the vaccines to beat down covid
The coronavirus pandemic has been a yearlong war. There have been front lines and battle plans, equipment deployed and troops activated. There have been far too many casualties. It has been approached as a national security issue because that is exactly what it is — a catastrophic event that threatens...
Editorial: Total testing for covid at Allegheny County Jail is worthy goal
Jails check for a lot of things when processing someone who has been arrested. Suspects are checked for weapons or other potentially dangerous items. They are checked for contraband such as drugs. They are photographed, fingerprinted, patted down and looked over. During the course of a stay in jail, there...
Laurels & lances: Ladies, lawsuit, prevention, pay
Laurel: To grand dames. March is Women’s History Month, and it has started with recognition of some amazing centenarians. Julia Parsons of Forest Hills was honored on her 100th birthday Tuesday with a parade that included a Color Guard and fellow servicemembers. During World War II, Parsons was Navy codebreaker...
Editorial: At Springdale basketball, the agony of default by covid
Sports can be a passionate proposition for some people. Communities can tie their identity to their local mascot. A school district can live or die with its football team’s record as much — sometimes more — than their standardized test scores or graduation rate. If you have been to a...
Editorial: A good step for Penguins fans, but caution is on deck
The Pittsburgh Penguins took their shot two weeks ago when they asked the state for a little more freedom. PPG Paints Arena was only allowed to have 500 people at games — including the players, the coaches, the guy who drives the Zamboni, the workers who run the lights, the...
Editorial: Confronting the reality of Westmoreland population decline
Accounting is a simple, color-coded kind of arithmetic. When the numbers go up, they are in black ink. When the numbers go down, they are in red. It doesn’t take much effort to figure out the bottom line when the visuals are that easy to see. Westmoreland County has been...
Editorial: In Harrisburg, a bipartisan bill on marijuana shows a constructive path
Two Pennsylvania senators — Dan Laughlin, a Republcian from Erie, and Sharif Street, a Philadelphia Democrat — are not typically on the same side of any issue. Laughlin is a committed member of the GOP delegation. He voted against reseating Jim Brewster while the 45th District still was being contested...
Editorial: Westmoreland County Transit steps up with free rides to vaccinations
When it comes to problem-solving, you can’t just look for the obvious answer and stop there. You can’t jack up the car without a spare tire to fix the flat. You can’t go to the moon without a way to get back. You can’t put a cast on a broken...
Editorial: Real progress at nursing homes is a welcome covid success story
There are more than 700 nursing homes in Pennsylvania. More than 88,000 people, mostly older individuals, live there — whether for the long term or a short stay. For the last year, those facilities have been under nervous pressure as seniors and those with preexisting medical conditions like diabetes and...
Laurels & lances: Parades, pranks and play
Laurel: To the pluck of the Irish. Doesn’t it seem like forever since there has been any kind of real community celebration? For a year, those simple gatherings that bring people together have fallen like dominoes in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. But lockdowns aren’t going to stop Lower...
Editorial: Standardized tests in a pandemic school year are folly
Every year, Pennsylvania kids face a battery of tests meant to determine just how well they have been educated in a variety of topics. All of the students from third grade through eighth grade take annual exams in math. They are tested on their reading comprehension and their writing skills....
Editorial: Let the Penguins grow safely to 25% capacity
A hockey game is an attempt to control chaos. It is all about advancing toward a goal while sliding on an uncertain surface, balanced on the edge of a blade. Being slammed out of the blue by an unexpected blow that throws everything off course. Sounds like a description of...
Editorial: In West Deer, youth in politics is an inspiring reality
When Pew Research Center asked people in 2014 how many had ever run for elected office, only 2% said yes. Not just 2% that were representatives or council members. Not just 2% that had served previously and had left office. Only 2% had ever raised a hand and said, “I...
Editorial: Don’t bark at higher fees from state Bureau of Dog Law
Man’s best friend can be priceless — but isn’t always cheap. Dog food costs more than one might expect. So do rawhide bones and rabies shots, toys and treats. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the way all those chewed-on shoes add up. But the cost of a Pennsylvania...
Editorial: The dollars and sense of toll bridges
Toll roads are not a new concept. There were tolls collected in Babylon. Aristotle spoke of them in the ancient world. During the Middle Ages, they were common tools of both official and criminal collection. But now PennDOT is planning to expand its network of toll roads with the Pathways...
Editorial: Finding the next best thing to a health department for Westmoreland
There’s nothing like a disaster to show you what you have and what you need. Westmoreland County Commissioners said Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic has shown them what they don’t need: a county health department. For almost a year, the county has responded to the increasing challenges of covid-19 without...
Laurels & lances: Pilsners, planes and partners
Laurel: To a round for the house. Or the neighborhood. Or the whole darn town. While many festivals have been canceled for months or are still being put off because of the coronavirus pandemic, other communities are trying to look forward. Tarentum is one of those. A craft beer festival,...
Editorial: Census delay means mad scramble for legislative redistricting
When it comes to the Constitution, there is a lot that is spelled out — and a lot that has to be figured out along the way. That’s how judges and constitutional law professors keep their jobs. It’s also why after more than 200 years, there is still such debate...
