Opinion category, Page 56
Laurels & lances: Musicals & mud
Laurel: To rising stars. On Saturday, the talent and hard work of 34 local schools was celebrated at the Benedum Center with the annual Gene Kelly Awards. It is the oldest regional high school theater awards event in America. It began in 1991 and is named after the Pittsburgh native...
Letter to the editor: Greed is holding us back on energy
While China charges forward investing billions in nuclear fission, the United States is gutting the very university research that could unlock the clean, limitless energy of the future. Public colleges are laying off scientists, canceling projects and turning away brilliant minds — not because we lack potential, but because Big...
Diana Polson: Pa.’s clean energy renaissance — a model for economic growth
In Turtle Creek, a quiet industrial revolution is brewing. Inside a sprawling manufacturing facility, workers are building batteries that will power 130,000 homes — part of a broader economic renaissance reshaping the commonwealth’s industrial landscape. Through strategic federal investments in clean energy and manufacturing, Pennsylvania is witnessing the creation of...
Howard M. Rieger: Are Allegheny County elected officials abandoning us?
Ten months ago, the Allegheny County Board of Health proposed a fee increase for processing Title 5 operating permits for polluters, the most significant of which is U.S. Steel. Because of staffing vacancies, the Board of Health has an extensive backlog in processing such permits. Over the years, the Environmental...
Letter to the editor: Tax increase will have domino effect
Not one person disagreed with the 3.9% increase that the Quaker Valley school board voted 8-0 to raise our taxes once again. How could that be? You all must have “build a new high school fever.” Isn’t it enough that the Allegheny County council members raised our county tax by...
Princeton Lock: What comes after left and right? Students want systems, not sides.
You can walk into almost any American high school right now and feel it. Students aren’t just frustrated. They’re disillusioned. The message we’re hearing isn’t “get involved,” it’s “good luck.” We’re told to pick a side, vote blue or red, join a cause or take a stand. But when you’re...
Letter to the editor: Recreational marijuana should not be legalized
Recently I received a pamphlet from the Westmoreland Drug & Alcohol Commission that states, “Marijuana affects a person’s ability to: React to hazards, judge time, speed and distance; concentrate on driving.” It is irresponsible to legalize recreational marijuana. Contact your representatives and the governor. The Pennsylvania budget doesn’t need money...
Letter to the editor: Who deserves reparations?
Every now and again the subject of reparations comes up, but it just isn’t right. If there are any slaves alive here in the USA, pay them. If not, why should we pay anyone who never suffered as a slave? Remember also that Black people in Africa sold other Black...
Editorial: Americans should be able to easily e-file their taxes with the IRS for free
For millions of Americans, filing taxes is already a frustrating, time-consuming ordeal. Now a free online tool that promised to make the process easier is under political threat. The Associated Press last month reported the Internal Revenue Service is planning to eliminate its free Direct File tax-filing program, which debuted...
Letter to the editor: Most taxpayers won’t save much
The wire article “Report: Expiring Trump tax cuts will raise taxes $2,521 in Pa.” (May 2) presented misleading data. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act does not save the average Pennsylvanian $2,521. The savings are skewed to the wealthiest taxpayers. Eighty-one percent of the savings go to the top...
Letter to the editor: Reliable transit is key to survival for many
Reliable transportation is the key to maintaining a strong workforce and a healthy economy — yet in Pennsylvania, thousands of people with disabilities and low-income workers struggle to get to and keep their jobs due to inadequate public transit. My family has a history of working in the nonprofit sector,...
Jonah Goldberg: Baby boom, baby bust and the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
As the Senate takes up the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (Donald Trump’s name for it) passed by the House last week, there’s finally some discussion of the national debt. That’s because the bill is estimated to add $3.8 trillion over the next decade to the current debt: $37 trillion, or...
James Stavridis: How can Europe deter Putin? Revive the ‘Reforger.’
When I was a junior officer during the Cold War, the biggest North Atlantic Treaty Organization military training exercises — perhaps the largest in history — were annual drills called Exercise Reforger. The goal was to ensure NATO’s ability to deploy troops rapidly to West Germany if war broke out...
Katharine Kelleman: Transit system Pittsburgh deserves is within reach — if we choose to invest
Public transit isn’t just about getting from point A to point B. It’s a platform for opportunity, connection and growth — and can be the foundation for the kind of future Pittsburgh says it wants. For decades, our region has worked to reverse population decline and position itself for long-term,...
Letter to the editor: How can Pirates make a comeback? With a new owner
I was at game 4 of the World Series at Three Rivers Stadium in 1979 when the Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Baltimore Orioles and went down 1-3. I was 15 years old. As we left the stadium, I was thinking to myself, how can the Pirates possibly come back?...
Letter to the editor: Petty election decisions will be costly
I would like to extend a special thank- you (not) to you, Judge Harry Smail, for your unwise decisions to remove all Republican Norwin School Board candidates from this year’s primary ballot. This removal for petty processing errors was disgraceful and absurd, especially your decision to remove one candidate because...
Editorial: Did retired cop deserve a break with drug crime sentence?
In Pennsylvania, committing a crime against a police officer is another crime unto itself. If you physically assault a police officer, you can be charged with assault and assault of a law enforcement officer. The same happens for murder. There is an additional charge for criminal homicide of a law...
Letter to the editor: Alzheimer’s caregivers need help
Alzheimer’s advocacy is not just for the patient; caregivers need help, too. My sister, diagnosed in her late 40s with multiple forms of dementia, is dying a horribly slow death; she is as violent to others as the disease is to her; she’s 57. As much as I’ve been fighting...
James-Christian B. Blockwood: Trump’s first 100 days changed the game — the next 1,300 could change the nation
The country has now witnessed and felt the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term. These days were filled with unrelenting, fast-paced executive action. He signed a record-breaking number of executive orders, though many have been challenged and may be reversed. Working with Congress to pass legislation, though...
Adam R. Forgie: Murders outside Jewish museum a reminder that antisemitism is not just an Israeli problem
Last week, just steps from the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., two staff members of the Israeli Embassy — Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim — were shot and killed. They were attending a gathering hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an event meant to promote understanding and stand against...
Editorial: Republicans need to show work requirements can work
For weeks, Republicans in Congress have been haggling over cuts to Medicaid, the health care program for the poor. Some lawmakers see an opportunity to offset the cost of extending $5 trillion in tax cuts, a priority for the White House. Others worry their constituents could lose access to critical...
Letter to the editor: Trump ignoring his oath
Friends and critics, in lieu of a specific topic, I would just like to say: I believe this president/administration is the most corrupt, lying and self-serving to have ever resided at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. He is a convicted criminal, and it appears he uses the office to enrich himself and...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s real accomplishments
The letter “Realities about Trump” (May 21, TribLive) is very light on President Trump’s real accomplishments and reveals a Trump derangement syndrome that flourishes across our nation. 1. Did Trump select various department secretaries who would be able to execute his agenda that 77 million voters believed he would do...
Letter to the editor: Don’t squander Skenes, shale resources
Despite top-tier starting pitching, the Pirates are not competitive — and their leadership is questioned daily by fans and Trib writers. But at least the Pirates’ shortcomings are obvious. What’s less obvious — but far more important — is that Pennsylvania isn’t nearly as competitive as it should be when...
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 27
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 27....
