Editorial: Immigration action is no distant story
On Thursday morning across Southwestern Pennsylvania, many families were going through the same familiar ritual. Breakfasts were eaten. Winter coats and backpacks were wrangled. Parents and children headed out the door expecting an ordinary start to an ordinary day. But as Hariett Flores was starting her day in Oakmont, that...
Letter to the editor: America sees what’s happening in Minneapolis
President Biden’s lax immigration policies incentivized the invasion of more than 10 million illegal immigrants. An April 16, 2024, House Judiciary Committee report confirms this, noting that thousands of felons, convicted murderers, known pedophiles and sexual predators were “turned loose” by Biden into our beloved country. Homeland Security on Jan....
Nathan Deron: Pa. needs answers — free online tool shows health impacts of regional pollution
Everyone deserves clear and timely information about air pollution they may come into contact with. Residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania face a particularly high risk of breathing pollution from the region’s various heavy industries that rely on fossil fuels. This pollution can contain toxic chemicals and may result from day-to-day operations...
Claire Kovach and Yomarilis Gueits Rodriguez: Groundhog Day 2? Minimum wage déjà vu
As Pennsylvanians observe our dapper rodent weather prognosticator’s forecast, workers across the commonwealth will continue to wake up each day faced with the same reality we’ve known for 17 years now — we still have a $7.25 per hour minimum wage. As legislative efforts to raise it stall year after...
Eric M. O’Neill: Verizon shutdown a warning
When Verizon customers across the country watched their phones slip into “SOS mode,” most people treated it as a temporary inconvenience. It wasn’t a cyberattack, Verizon said, and service was eventually restored. Some customers will receive credits. That’s good news. But it would be a mistake to treat the episode...
Letter to the editor: Fracking — weighing the good and the bad
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a process in which oil and natural gas are extracted from underground rock formations. Fracking provides many benefits but has some costly side effects. Fracking obviously provides more energy. An interesting upside is that there is potential for fracking to be cleaner than coal if...
Letter to the editor: Our senators must defend us
Sen. Dave McCormick seems to think that killings and kidnappings on the streets of a major U.S. city aren’t “irresponsible” but objecting to them is. He says he wants a full investigation, but has missed that ICE is apparently actively blocking Minneapolis police from investigating these crimes, and that federal...
Editorial: News on dementia is a call to action for our future
The latest report on CTE is both enlightening and alarming. A groundbreaking study from Boston University researchers found that those with CTE have a much higher chance of being diagnosed with dementia. The largest study of its kind from the Boston University CTE Center reveals that the progressive brain disease...
Letter to the editor: Republican regime destroying our country
Another beautiful soul is killed by Homeland “Security.” His loved ones are left in agony. Veterans lost someone who helped them get well or at least find comfort in their final days. I made myself watch the video of Alex Pretti trying to help a woman shoved to the ground...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 2
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 2....
Nosakhere Griffin-EL: We can’t wait for schools to do right by Black children
What if we decided not to wait for the school district to do right by Black children? In November, parents protested against the potential closing of nine Pittsburgh Public Schools. Parents stressed the lack of benefit to children, the potential harm to children and that school closures kill community culture....
Cal Thomas: The effects of the words we use
Ancient proverbs can be helpful in adjusting our language and behavior in ways that can benefit every generation. They have become ancient because they work. One example: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger ” (Proverbs 15:1). It means calm, patient and kind words...
Letter to the editor: Those encouraging protesters ought to join protests
To all of all phony politicians, celebrities and anyone else who encourages others to get out and protest ICE activities, you have no credibility unless you practice what you preach and join the protests. Skip Dunsworth Oviedo, Fla. The writer is formerly of Murrysville....
Letter to the editor: We can handle the truth
When I visited Independence Hall in Philadelphia and stood where our second president, John Adams, took the oath of office, I reflected on our first president’s decision to walk away from the power and prestige of the presidency in support of our democracy. I am still in awe of this...
Editorial: Elections don’t wait for a spotlight to matter
Everyone knows 2026 is an important election year. It is a midterm, carrying the familiar post-presidential pressure that takes the political temperature of the country. In Pennsylvania, it is also a gubernatorial year. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the presumptive Republican nominee, recently secured an endorsement from President Donald Trump, and...
Letter to the editor: Speak up to stop what’s happening in our country
Many, many awful things are happening in this country which frighten me severely. I came to the U.S. in 1970 and always was proud to be part of this marvelous and rather unique way of self-
governing. We had everything a person would want to live their lives as they wished...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: The awakening, and a rare challenge to our beloved nation
After the killing in Minneapolis of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents, more Americans have started to pay attention to the ongoing assault on their freedoms. After the earlier killing of Renee Good and other atrocities committed by masked renegade federal agents, there is some hope that this...
Jordan Frei: Mission — focus on your health to stay alive
Mission-driven. That’s how’s I define myself. In my profession, my social life and in my house. Articulate and prioritize the missions. Forge the paths to accomplish them. Often though, I treated preventive health care as an obstacle, rather than its own mission. At 53 years old and on the winning...
Constitution Under Construction: Built for change
Constitution Under Construction is an ongoing series exploring the history, relevance and importance of amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Declaration of Independence was never a system of government. It was a statement of intent. What followed it showed that the Founding Fathers wanted to build something different — and...
Christina Jones: Social media addiction lawsuits matter
Like many people, when I first heard about the lawsuits against major social media companies over algorithmic addiction and youth mental health, my initial reaction was complicated. Part of me thought about parenting, supervision, personal responsibility and mental health. Those things matter. They always will. But the more I’ve learned,...
Letter to the editor: Other nonprofits should follow UPMC’s lead in helping Pittsburgh
It was heartwarming to see that UPMC set the bar high with a
$10 million donation to the city of Pittsburgh for emergency vehicles (“UPMC gives $10M to Pittsburgh for ambulances, freeing up money for snowplows,” Jan. 29, TribLive). Now is the time for other nonprofits to step up and...
Letter to the editor: Kudos to Rep. Ilhan Omar for showing up
I would like to comment on the recent attack on Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. While you may not agree with her political beliefs, you have to give her credit for hosting town halls in her district. In my district, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler has been a complete no-show, and clearly does not...
Letter to the editor: We must constrain Trump
What the citizens of any nation of free people should never want to see or accept is the leader of that nation assembling a private army. I believe that is what ICE has become under the current administration. The premature exoneration of agent Jonathan Ross in the killing of Renee...
Editorial: Reliable funding matters more than generosity
Thirty-one years is a long time for any vehicle to remain in service. More than 100,000 miles takes a toll. That is not what you want when lives are on the line. And yet that was the backdrop for a donation this week — a well-worn ambulance in need of...
Letter to the editor: Which guy did that?
Like everyone else I am sick of this guy! He is on track to return or remove 12 million illegal immigrants! Oh wait, that was Clinton. Well, I am sick of him deporting approximately
3 million illegal immigrants. Oh no, that was Obama! Well, I am sick and tired of...
