Editorial: 2020 promises wild ride

If 2019 seemed like a roller coaster, hurtling to the peak of one local, state, national or global event after another before veering wildly off in a different direction or plunging down to an unsatisfying resolution, well, buckle your seat belts, keep your hands and arms inside the car at all times and, please, no flash photography.

Because 2019 saw a lot of things go down.

Pittsburgh still was reeling from the Tree of Life shooting when it lurched into the national conversation on gun safety versus 2nd Amendment rights. The Michael Rosfeld trial brought up all the pain and indignation on both sides of the Antwon Rose II shooting anew, while a Westmoreland County jury found Rahmael Holt guilty of killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw.

The state dealt with the fallout of opioid addiction as Attorney General Josh Shapiro was suing opioid makers while simultaneously looking at opening new doors for another, with both Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman looking at the idea of marijuana legalization.

And then there was national news. More shootings. More drugs. More chaos in Washington, D.C., and beyond, and Southwestern Pennsylvania was dragged into the spotlight as President Trump and Democratic challengers made visits.

But 2020 isn’t a run-up year. It’s not a year where the focus is on counties or municipalities. It’s a presidential year, which means political blood sport. It’s a congressional year, with all those representative seats in Harrisburg and Washington on the table, as well as a good chunk of both Senates.

It’s an Olympic year, with American athletes standing toe-to-toe with the world in Tokyo. The Mars 2020 rover is set to join Curiosity on our red-soiled neighboring planet. It’s been three months since Apple released a new iPhone, so a new one of those is probably about to be announced.

Oh, and impeachment. That’s still out there.

And that doesn’t count new developments coming out of Pittsburgh’s tech scene. There’s the census and its impact on the area and the state’s congressional delegation. Westmoreland County literally has a new sheriff in town, so how is that going to develop? What will happen with Pittsburgh’s gun ban? What about your school board? Your taxes? The crime in your neighborhood?

If 2019 was a roller coaster, 2020 might be more river rapids — a bumpy ride that can swing in circles with unpredictable deluges that leave you gasping for breath, maybe a little giddy and maybe a little scared.

Hold on tight.