Letter to the editor: Let’s make Westmoreland a safe haven for criminals
After seeing on the news that the
Allegheny County commissioners voted to defy federal law enforcement agencies and grant foreign criminals a safe sanctuary, it occurred to me we should call on our commissioners to follow suit and declare Westmoreland County a safe haven for certain other types of criminals...
Letter to the editor: We should be able to trust ‘the news’
“Back in the day,” as the expression goes, when Walter Cronkite or Huntley-Brinkley delivered the news, the public had a high degree of confidence that they were telling the truth. Federal policies were in place to ensure that “news” was accurate. Until the 1980s, when the FCC started media deregulation....
Letter to the editor: AI needs guardrails
The article “Southwestern Pa. is scouting the digital frontier” (March 31, TribLive) put a positive spin on advancing AI. For a different perspective, read TIME magazine’s April 6 article “The Most Disruptive Company in The World.” It tells of a company that is on the frontier of AI development and...
Letter to the editor: Bring back some form of the draft
Is it time for the draft? Not the meaningless NFL Draft where the quid pro quo has already been determined. The city and county will have a financial windfall, probably only to give it up to Steelers owner Art Rooney for facilities improvements. We’ve seen this movie. I’m referring to...
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 13
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 13....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 13
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 13....
Letter to the editor: Democrats need to put Americans first
When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. When you find yourself out of money, stop spending. That is common sense. The government is out of funds, yet Democrats want massive spending commitments before approving funding. Affordable Care Act health benefits and subsidies for immigrants is the major issue....
Panini A. Chowdhury: Pittsburgh can’t subsidize its way to housing affordability
Housing affordability has become the promise of the moment. Every political and social campaign invokes it. Every local, state and federal government budget claim to advance it. But there is a harder question beneath the surface, one that rarely makes it into speeches: What if some of what we do...
Destenie Nock: This summer, your air conditioner is going to compete with a data center
Western Pennsylvania is on the verge of its biggest infrastructure wave since steel. Data center developers have announced billions of dollars in investments in Springdale, Homer City, Shippingport and Upper Burrell. At full build-out, the facilities planned for just three of those sites would consume enough electricity to power nearly...
Letter to the editor: Better uses for billions than space travel, war
As I write another big check to the federal government I am wondering who benefits by Artemis, the $4.1 billion “trip around the moon”? At $250 per visit, $4.1 billion could send 2 million Americans to the dentist for a checkup/exam/cleaning, but that would be socialism. How many “socialist things”...
Letter to the editor: Does Trump understand what’s at stake?
Notwithstanding the Iran ceasefire, “President Donald Trump’s … threat that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,’ cannot and should not be forgotten.” The author of those words, Lt. Col. Rachel E. VanLandingham (retired, Air Force), is a professor of law and president emerita of...
Letter to the editor: No need for paper ballots
The voting system we currently use has a proven record of being the most effective at protecting our votes. The $7 million approved by our county commissioners was an investment to ensure our votes count. Thank you. Why do Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew want to switch back to...
Editorial: Who is John Fetterman really?
There always have been elected officials whose appeal defies their demographics. Former U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin spent years as the token Democrat in deep-red West Virginia. Democrat Camille “Bud” George was the godfather of Central Pennsylvania politics for decades despite swimming in a sea of Republican constituents. Pennsylvania knows this...
Letter to the editor: Protect local farms
Pittsburgher Highland Farm is a 142-acre regenerative farm in Mt. Pleasant. We raise 100% grass-fed beef, lamb and pastured pork. When we bought the property, sections of it had been strip-mined. The soil was drained of nutrients. Our sheep and cattle restore the land to health through careful rotational grazing....
Letter to the editor: The sanctity of voting
The sanctity of voting lies in the promise that every eligible citizen has an equal voice. However, the proposed SAVE Act threatens this foundation by creating unnecessary, “show your papers” barriers that would disenfranchise millions of our fellow Americans. While proponents claim this bill secures our elections, it ignores a...
Kate Harper and Conor Lamb: Our energy future is ‘Made in Pa.’
Pennsylvanians are rightly proud of our rich legacy as one of the nation’s top energy producers. After all, we rank second in the United States for both natural gas production and nuclear energy production. With energy demand reaching record levels, electricity prices climbing at alarming rates, and foreign fuel markets...
Ted Kopas: A sheriff gone rogue — only commissioners sign contracts
Immigration enforcement is a debated topic throughout our nation — and, now, in our own backyard. At issue here is a recent “agreement” between the Westmoreland County’s Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The problem is the sheriff has no legal authority to act on such an...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s excursion
Our too-clever-by-half commander in chief, President Donald Trump, has, with the change of one word, managed to flummox Republican members of Congress, rewrite the U.S. Constitution and likely have our nation’s Founders rolling over in their graves. Trump has said our war against Iran is just an “excursion.” Take that,...
Editorial: Call for peace is not political
On Saturday, Greensburg Diocese Bishop Larry J. Kulick gathered people at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral to bow their heads and share hope for a common goal: peace. The vigil came at a time when many people are feeling growing tension —at the gas pump, on TV, on social media—as hostilities continue...
Letter to the editor: What do protests accomplish?
After previous elections, the motto was “work together to improve the country.” Now the motto is “resist, vilify and protest. Our party must win.” Protesting must be fun. You get to blow whistles, chant, sing and dance (party?). You can vent frustrations by throwing rocks and fireworks at real people....
Michael Peregrine: We shouldn’t allow the marvels of space exploration to become passe
NASA’s Artemis II mission represents America’s audacious return to human space flight. Bold and breathtaking in scope, it reflects well on the capabilities of our space technology. The only problem is it’s unclear if anyone is truly paying attention. Artemis was the first crewed lunar space voyage since 1972 and...
David M. Drucker: High gas prices will haunt the GOP even if the war ends soon
There’s still more political fallout for the GOP courtesy of the Iran war: Even if the conflict ends soon, voters could be grappling with pain at the gas pump deep into midterm election season, as Republicans struggle to defend razor-thin majorities in Congress. The influence American presidents have on oil...
Letter to the editor: Where are the funny ‘I did that’ Trump stickers?
During the Joe Biden administration, when gasoline prices per gallon crossed $3.50, Donald Trump supporters gleefully defaced pumps with stickers of Biden saying, “I did that.” The price per gallon is now well over $4 and may soon top $5 or more. Trump has engaged in an ill-advised military action...
Letter to the editor: Shell plant is good for community
Behind the walls of Shell’s petrochemicals plant in Monaca, hundreds of hardworking members of our community keep the facility operating safely and efficiently. I grew up in a rural town with a smaller population, so I understand how families need good jobs like these to raise their families and maintain...
Editorial: Youth sports shouldn’t be a privilege for the rich
It’s often said a parent’s love can’t be measured, but a recent survey on youth sports may come close. For each day a child plays a sport, researchers found, parents expend three hours and 23 minutes in effort: organizing and driving, watching games and practices, making snacks and doing laundry....
