Letter to the editor: Power trip in Aspinwall
Regarding the censuring of Aspinwall Mayor Scott Zimmermann, let us dive a little deeper into the details of the situation. Aspinwall Council is made up of seven members, all currently registered Democrats. The mayor himself is a Democrat. The council voted 5-1 in favor of censuring the mayor with one...
Patrick McGinty: Pennsylvania Promise seeks to carry on local legacy
When high school seniors across the city return to class from their spring breaks, the countdowns will begin. Only 50 school days left. Three more Monday alarm clocks. Two more final bells. Unfortunately, there’s a more dismal countdown underway. The 2026 class will be the third-to-last group of Pittsburgh Public...
Letter to the editor: We need more voices like Fetterman
I would remind the writer of the letter “Fetterman must resign” (March 15, TribLive) that Sen. John Fetterman was elected to represent all Pennsylvanians, not just the far left wing of the Democratic Party. As a lifelong registered Republican for all 45 years I have been of voting age, I...
Letter to the editor: The devastation of the Kennedy Center
As he exits after a chaotic year as the leader of the Kennedy Center, Richard Grenell has been hailed by the president as having “done an excellent job … outstanding work.” I wonder if the president would commend the captain of the Titanic in similar terms. Grenell, at the direction...
Letter to the editor: Trump has us in a terrible mess
Oh, my dearest God! What are we in for next? Another war without provocation? Another way to kill the best our society has to offer — the young, the strong with a great future ahead of them? For what? So our president gets his fill of finally getting a chance...
Ben Freeman and William Hartung: The trillion-dollar Iran war
In late 2002, as the U.S. was on the precipice of invading Iraq, the president’s top budget official estimated that the war would cost as little as $50 billion. That conflict ultimately cost American taxpayers more than $3 trillion, and we’re still paying the bill. Fast-forward to 2026 and the...
Rev. Dr. F. Willis Johnson: Sacred restraint in a restless world
Across the globe, Muslims, Christians and Jews enter seasons of fasting, repentance and remembrance. Together, the Abrahamic traditions represent over half of the world’s religious population. In their distinct ways, each tradition calls its followers to humility and a deep concern for others, whether through fasting, repentance or remembrance of...
Editorial: Should Pittsburgh Public Schools close for the NFL Draft?
Pittsburgh has had NFL Draft fever since the announcement that football’s second biggest day would take place in the Steel City. But does that mean that everything was considered when the plan was being made? Pittsburgh Public Schools revealed it will be shifting to remote learning April 22 to 24....
Letter to the editor: Who decides how much AI is enough?
As debate grows around AI data centers, much of the discussion has focused on how to power them, fossil fuels versus renewable energy. But this framing misses a more fundamental question: How much AI infrastructure should we be building in the first place? Even when powered by renewable energy, large-scale...
Letter to the editor: When government forgets neighborhoods
Recent debates about neighborhood services and development policy raise an important question: What happens when residents feel their local government has forgotten them? For many people, that frustration is personal. I recently spoke with the mayor of Mt. Oliver about the possibility of her borough absorbing the Knoxville neighborhood where...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Trump’s Goodwill Bank is empty
The “Goodwill Bank” has been around forever, but most people don’t give it a second thought, even though they may have spent a lifetime making deposits in their goodwill accounts. They do that by simply living good lives — through charity, kindness, fairness and the courage to stand up for...
David M. Drucker: Your average Democratic voter isn’t a left-winger
President Donald Trump has a habit of referring to Democrats as “radical-left lunatics.” The unfair pejorative aside, it turns out the typical Democratic voter isn’t even left wing. Let that sink in. According to an expansive poll conducted recently for centrist Democratic think tank Third Way, a majority of Democratic...
Kevin Frazier: We’ve been ‘preparing’ for the future since 1991—it hasn’t worked
“Today, the demands on business and workers are different. Firms must meet world-class standards, and so must workers. Employers seek adaptability and the ability to learn and work in teams.” Sound familiar? It’s the sort of guidance you’ll find on X, in studies issued by nonprofits, and, as I recently...
Letter to the editor: Does Trump not understand cause and effect?
As if President Trump’s programs and military actions weren’t bad enough, he now joins Israel in attacking Iran. This war is creating a global economic calamity that has never been seen before. The administration seems to have no clue as to cause and effect. Soldiers are being killed, the markets...
Editorial: Sharing information should be the default
Nothing would be easier than to look at a bar fight involving police officers as an opportunity to talk about bad behavior by law enforcement. But that story isn’t written yet. Charges have been filed against Pittsburgh Det. Richard L. Dilimone Jr., 36, of Adams Township, Butler County, in connection...
Letter to the editor: Overtime vs. new hires
As a retired county employee of 38-plus years, the article on county overtime (“Westmoreland County overtime costs top $7.2 million in 2025,” March 6, TribLive) and related editorial (“Punching the overtime clock adds up,”
(March 10, TribLive) certainly caught my attention. Both were good reads, but what they did not...
Letter to the editor: Act of war or peace?
We need to stop looking at the military action in Iran as an act of war. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939 it was an act of war. If other European countries would have defended Poland and counterattacked Germany, it may have been defeated, and World War II would not...
Colin McNickle: Shapiro’s DOA tax-&-spend Pa. budget
“Dead on arrival” would be the most apropos way to characterize the chances of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed fiscal 2026-27 Pennsylvania budget being adopted by the General Assembly. For it is far more remarkable for the economic fallacies it promulgates than sound fiscal stewardship, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny...
Abby McCloskey: Republicans are squandering their MAHA moment
The MAHA base is bigger than you think. And the GOP is going to need all the support it can muster to survive what’s likely to be a bruising midterm. Roughly four in 10 parents (38%) identify as supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement, according to a KFF/Washington...
Letter to the editor: Integrity, professionalism in Sheriff’s Office
In 2020 I inherited a Sheriff’s Office in disarray, with the previous sheriff facing criminal charges. Westmoreland County paid over a half-million dollars to settle lawsuits due to his actions. We can proudly state there are no lawsuits against my department. Nothing paid out when each deputy performs their duties...
Letter to the editor: We need new Testaments
I predict Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu will fail the final judgement test of Revelations 20 as they seek the Old Testament dictates to utterly destroy men, women and children to obtain “promised” land and riches. They fail the same test in Matthew 25. They and their evangelical leaders urging...
Laurels & lances: Safety & SATs
Laurel: To building on support. Pittsburgh Action Against Rape is closing its South Side office for about a month — not to pause its vital mission but to reinforce it. Thanks to a $137,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the organization is implementing security and...
Letter to the editor: Don’t eat meat today
As spring returns with its promise of renewal, March 20 marks MeatOut 2026 — a chance to “turn over a new leaf” by trying plant-based eating for just one day. Since 1985, MeatOut has encouraged thousands to discover healthier, more compassionate choices by taking the meat out of their diets...
Lori Falce: The war at your gas pump
When you are talking about energy, war is always local. It isn’t about a line in the sand or a point on a map. No matter who you are or where you live, the energy affects you. That is clear in the way the price of gas has ballooned since...
Victoria Elliott: Harrisburg must take action on Pa.’s growing pharmacy deserts
The ongoing pharmacy closure crisis in Pennsylvania has become an alarming issue for communities throughout the commonwealth. Since 2020, over 1,000 community pharmacies have shuttered their doors, creating a massive pharmacy desert that has engulfed cities, towns, suburbs and rural communities. A pharmacy desert is any area where residents no...
