Llewellyn King: The danger of being inured to the status quo
We have all had the experience of staying a few days in a hotel — say on holiday — which becomes home. Quickly, it becomes familiar. Individuals adjust to change. People who come into money get used to being well-off, and people who lose everything get used to that. So,...
Trish Reilly: Why are Pennsylvanians paying higher electric bills?
A new report found that over the last five years, Pennsylvania has been ahead of the national average in electricity rate increases. But honestly, everyone paying an electric bill in the commonwealth is probably already aware of this. For those who like to look on the bright side, among states...
Letter to the editor: DeLuzio vs. Vance?
Watching Pittsburgh-area Congressman Chris DeLuzio on cable TV news programs, two thoughts came to mind: First, if the award-winning TV show “The Pitt” needs an actor to play Dr. Robinavitch’s (Noah Wyle) younger brother, DeLuzio definitely looks the part. And he could probably pull off a Pittsburgh accent without the...
Letter to the editor: Folding politics in half
I’ve been called worse things than “a bifurcating imbecile.” But sometimes it’s best to fold conflict down the middle, and label two columns. The left column, in this case, is headed “social economics.” Free market economics on the right. Over the left column there’s a pic of Karl Marx, communist,...
Editorial: Courthouse turnover shouldn’t delay critical cases
A capital case in Allegheny County may be delayed because another prosecutor assigned to it is leaving the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Berosh said during a status conference Monday that she was leaving the prosecutor’s office. She was not the first. Her departure makes her...
Letter to the editor: No ICE in Allegheny County
I’m writing in favor of the proposed ordinance before Allegheny County Council that bars elected officials and county employees from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents unless ordered by a federal judge. The chaos and tragedies in Minnesota, throughout the country and now in Allegheny County have once...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Maz and the American story
Every Pittsburgh kid knows where he was when Bill Mazeroski hit the 1960 World Series-winning home run. When Maz died Feb. 20, it all came back. I was at Mr. Smith’s penny candy store in East McKeesport after school let out, huddled around a scratchy-sounding table radio with a handful...
Ryan Dennis: How Trump could earn farmers’ support
Every morning over buckwheat pancakes and sausage, my father and grandfather would decide which fields to work that day and share an update about their cattle. Then, inevitably, the talk would move on to the low price of milk and the government’s part in it. “It’s all a game,” my...
Jim Nowlan: Our way of dying is evolving
Illinois recently joined 11 other states in enacting a law that allows physician-assisted suicide. I propose an additional tweak that would make dying more humane for those who might like to let go a bit prior to the six-month window of legality that seems to be the standard. The American...
Letter to the editor: McCormick, Fetterman fulfilling constitutional duties
The editorial “McCormick, Fetterman and why ICE matters in Pennsylvania” (Jan. 28, TribLive) was a welcome reminder of what the Constitution intended: a balanced and participative form of government. Your examples of Sens. Dave McCormick and John Fetterman looking to their constituents rather than perpetually heaving to the party line...
Letter to the editor: Armstrong County leadership must take action for growth
Armstrong County has a real opportunity in front of it — and we cannot afford to let it slip away. The Armstrong County commissioners must take decisive action to support local manufacturing by approving Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) status for a local manufacturer wanting to move forward with its proposed...
Lori Falce: Constitution Under Construction: 2nd Amendment a study in balanceVideo
Editor’s note: This is the third column in a series exploring the history and legacy of amendments to the U.S. Constitution. In architecture, a keystone is the wedge-shaped stone set at the top of an arch. It is placed last. The stones on either side lean inward, pressing against it....
Editorial: Alcoa’s sales for data centers signal new industrial revolution
It can be hard to understand in a world of soda cans and smartphones that there was a time when aluminum was rarer than diamonds. That changed in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It wasn’t that aluminum was scarce in the earth. It was that turning it into usable metal was nearly impossible....
Letter to the editor: Congress takes critical step for rare disease families
I know firsthand the uphill battle parents of children with rare diseases face. Finding knowledgeable, compassionate care can feel like navigating an endless maze. Families are often left exhausted and overwhelmed as they search for specialists who understand their child’s condition and can offer real solutions. Each year on the...
S.E. Cupp: For Trump, the State of the Union is delusional
State of the Union speeches haven’t mattered in a while. Even in their heyday, they were only bringing in 60-plus million viewers, and that’s been declining substantially for decades. They rarely result in a post-speech bump for any president, and according to Gallup polling data since 1978, the average change...
Jim Welty: 10 years of U.S. LNG — why Pa. matters more than ever
Ten years ago, few would have predicted that the United States would become the world’s leading exporter of liquified natural gas (LNG). Today, this leadership is not only a reality, but central to global energy security and to the continued expansion of a truly global natural gas market. As energy...
Letter to the editor: VA disability rule unfair
I am writing about the Veterans Affairs interim final rule RIN 2900-AS49, effective Feb. 17, which requires that a disability rating be based on a veteran’s actual, medicated or treated functional impairment, rather than the severity of their condition without treatment. I am a Vietnam veteran with service-connected disabilities, one...
Laurels & lances: Competition & consequences
Laurel: To bringing home the gold. Having Western Pennsylvania represented in the Olympics is nothing new. There is a long history of athletes from across the region taking up the mantle of Team USA — or showing up for other nations. Pittsburgh Penguins stars such as Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby...
Letter to the editor: Don’t let Pa. become another Minn.
ICE has drawn down its agents in Minnesota but significantly increased its presence in Pennsylvania. Maybe they think they will have better luck in Pennsylvania because we are a purple state. But the issue with ICE is not a blue or red problem; it is a constitutional, law and order...
Paul Kengor: Maz’s memory — and ours
It was a Thursday afternoon, Oct. 13, 1994, the 3 o’clock hour. I stood aside the bricked remnant of old Forbes Field on the University of Pittsburgh campus next to the law school and “Forbes Quad” building. Inside the latter is the old home plate of Forbes encased in glass. You...
Elan Justice Pavlinich: Shippingport data centers will be financial, health burdens on Beaver County residents
Southwestern Pennsylvania is set to become home to a fleet of massive data centers, seemingly whether residents want it or not. Three new ones just received approval to be built near the old Bruce Mansfield power plant in Shippingport. Some proponents claim that this wave of construction projects will be...
Jonah Goldberg: The world may be done bending to Trump’s will
I might as well say it clearly: I’m for regime change in Iran. The Islamic fanatics who have been running Iran since 1979 are murderers, torturers and exporters of terrorism. They are despised, or at least unwanted, by most Iranians, and the Iranians who get caught expressing their opinions in...
Letter to the editor: Trump, Zeldin should try breathing exhaust fumes
President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, having revoked scientific findings that CO2 emissions are harmful: Before you go for your next car ride, with the car running, go around to the “exhaust” pipe and take a deep breath. In fact take two, since you don’t think it’s harmful, and...
Editorial: The private price of public property
Real estate development would be much easier if everyone could get land for free — or close to it. Of course there are the expenses of design, site work and construction. There may be hurdles for permits and approvals. But the cost of land is often the biggest obstacle. As...
Letter to the editor: Constituents not earning reelection
I routinely write our congressional representatives. Usually the senators (John Fetterman and Dave McCormick) don’t respond. To be honest, I did get a canned response from McCormick the last time I wrote. But it did not address the subject I questioned; it was a canned response. On the contrary, Congressman...
