Editorials category, Page 73
Editorial: Why weren’t poll workers better prepared?
Everyone knew there could be issues with the 2020 election. Aside from the obvious political ramifications of a presidential battle that was four years in the brewing, there was a very technical situation at hand. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in 2017 that Pennsylvania was one of 21...
Editorial: Hunting changes could feed families
The Monday after Thanksgiving has long been an additional holiday in Pennsylvania. A day off work. A day with special observations and rituals. And one with a lot of prayers said as hunters call upon a higher power for a little divine assistance in bagging the biggest deer possible. But...
Editorial: Act 47 shows the way to help distressed municipalities recover
In 1987, the Pennsylvania Legislature threw a lifeline to communities that were struggling economically: Act 47. Known as the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act, it takes some of the back-to-the-drawing-board nature of a bankruptcy restructuring and adds a bit of money management lessons in the vein of debt guru Dave Ramsey,...
Editorial: Small business can use big boost this holiday season
We all know the minute Thanksgiving is over, the world of retail begins its annual gift-selling juggernaut. Despite the challenges and changes of 2020, including the coronavirus pandemic, that’s something that seems set in stone. The National Retail Foundation is anticipating holiday spending of between $755.3 and $766.7 billion. To...
Laurels & lances: Giving thanks, respecting rules
Laurel: To putting the “give” in Thanksgiving. It’s hard enough to nail the “thanks” part. There are different ways to do that, though. Some find the gratitude in the grace they say before dinner. Others do it by giving to others, whether in money or food or time. Plenty of...
Editorial: A different kind of Thanksgiving
’Tis the gift to be simple. ’Tis the gift to be free We often think of Thanksgiving in terms of the visuals. A Norman Rockwell kind of festivity with packed tables of loved ones and browned turkeys the size of laundry baskets. Everyone is dressed in their holiday best and...
Editorial: Public health orders that hurt the bar business require a chaser of aid
Gov. Tom Wolf has set last call for alcohol Wednesday at 4:59 p.m., because at 5 p.m. on the biggest drinking night of the year, bars and restaurants have to stop pouring. The new order is aimed at cutting down on the spread of covid-19 over Thanksgiving. The Wolf administration...
Editorial: Pa. counties need health department authority
The coronavirus pandemic is one big stew pot. The sometimes confusing information that emerges points to a lot of cooks stirring the soup. On the state level, there is the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which coordinates information from 67 counties — plus hospitals and nursing homes and personal care homes...
Editorial: Life lessons from Lucy’s kitchen
We should all live like Lucy. Lucy Pollock, 98, of Latrobe spent the last months surrounded by the love of her family and friends. And how those friends grew in that time. During the coronavirus pandemic, when people stayed home in lockdown and baking bread became the closest thing many...
Editorial: Vaccines great but pandemic not done
The vaccines are coming. In the last two weeks, two major pharmaceutical companies have made announcements about their covid-19 vaccines. Pfizer’s testing is showing a 90% efficacy. Moderna’s is 94.5%. Both are in the homestretch of a race with a huge jackpot — potentially millions of lives in America alone...
Editorial: PWSA plea needs to be clean start
The government has a problem with pollution. Some agencies just spew a lot of filth. Take the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady announced that PWSA had pleaded guilty to eight federal charges in connection with a pattern of bad behavior from 2010 to 2017....
Laurels & lances: Neighbors, risks and connections
Laurel: To good neighbors. The Tree of Life Congregation still has no permanent home since the 2018 shooting at its synagogue, where two other congregations worshipped, as well. The attack killed 11 from the three congregations in the largest, deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. The synagogue in Squirrel Hill...
Editorial: Tranquilli resignation is last judicious word
Nolle prosequi is one of those formal, Latin phrases that abounds in the law. Translated to English as “not to follow,” in court it refers to a charge that isn’t pursued, often because of a plea deal where other charges were completed. On Tuesday, Allegheny County Judge Mark V. Tranquilli...
Editorial: The commonwealth’s appeal to serious common sense on coronavirus safety
Is Pennsylvania doing what it should have been doing all along with the coronavirus pandemic? Secretary of Health Rachel Levine announced Tuesday “targeted efforts” to address rising covid-19 numbers. The measures include beefing up the mask mandate she issued in April. It will demand people be masked inside anytime they...
Editorial: The quest for clarity in state covid data and actions
On March 20, Pennsylvania had 20 diagnosed cases of covid-19. The state was at the very beginning of measures that Gov. Tom Wolf implemented to address the spread of the disease. Ten days later, Wolf was upping the response, issuing stay-at-home orders for 26 counties because the numbers were rising....
Editorial: This holiday season, let’s put seniors at the center
The holidays tend to make us focus on one area of family more than any other. Kids. It makes sense. So much of the period between Thanksgiving and the New Year is child-centric, or at the very least, family friendly. School pageants. Pictures in those adorable outfits that moms love...
Editorial: Westmoreland commissioners half-right on following mail-in ballot rules
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew has a point: There are rules for a reason. On Friday, the county’s Elections Board rejected 343 mail-in ballots that were improperly dated on the mailing envelope. Democratic Commissioner Gina Cerilli voted to count them. Chew and his Republican counterpart Sean Kertes declined to vote...
Editorial: Long-term care homes face fierce fiscal reality
Nursing homes have been talked about a great deal over the last eight months. Most of the talk has been alarming, as the first real outbreak of covid-19 happened at a long-term care facility in Washington state. The same location saw the first medical worker infected and the first U.S....
Laurels & lances: Winning, gloating and writing
Laurel: To beautiful representation. Maybe Victoria Piekut isn’t Miss USA. She is still making her community proud. The Irwin woman and reigning Miss Pennsylvania USA competed for the crown in Memphis this week. She didn’t win. But she did show up, participate, represent her state and her home and do...
Editorial: Pitt’s covid response and research should be partners
The University of Pittsburgh wants its students to stay put. Until they go home, at least. The university issued the order for the Oakland campus Sunday. It comes amid an upswing in covid-19 cases at the college. Monday, Pitt reported 74 positive cases in just three days. That is part...
Editorial: Veterans deserve lifelong support for their life of service
A veteran is usually identified as a person who served in the military. It also can mean a person of great experience. There is a reason for the overlap. U.S. military veterans seem to have experience in so many fields. Of 45 presidents sworn into office, 26 served in uniform...
Editorial: Tearing down houses can build communities
One bad property can be the first domino in an unfortunate chain reaction for a community. Maybe it happened because of a fire. Maybe it stood empty after a foreclosure. Maybe it fell into disrepair when an absent owner couldn’t keep up with the maintenance. Whatever the reason, it becomes...
Editorial: The election’s over, and unfinished business beckons locally
Guess what? Not everything is about the election. It’s true. There are still things happening in the world that have nothing to do with who won the presidency — or attorney general or auditor or treasurer or one of the legislative seats. And maybe one of the best things about...
Editorial: Pennsylvanians, a keystone in this election, can continue to lead the way
When big things happen in the world, the job of hometown papers is often to find a way to connect it to the local community. The 2020 election turned that on its head. The battle for the presidency may have been a national story, but that was in large part...
Editorial: Toomey and Santorum are right about voting
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is the kind of Republican that needs to be heard right now. Toomey has been a reliably conservative Republican his entire political life. He has advocated for the Constitution and hewn close to the party’s bones when it comes to foreign policy, small government and fiscal...
