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It’s still the economy, stupid

Republicans are licking their wounds after this Tuesday’s ballot box defeats. But there is a lesson to be learned here. The various elections in New York City, New Jersey and Virginia, viewed collectively, reminded us yet again of a perennial political truth: Americans still care first and foremost about their wallets. Culture war-type issues often generate the most salacious headlines -- and many of the Trump administration’s fights on these fronts, such as immigration enforcement and higher education reform, are just and necessary. Still, the economy remains the top political ...

A duck of a good prank

Christopher Beers and his cohorts from Grandpa’s Joe’s were out and about before the quack of dawn a few weeks back to pull off a caper unlike any other in Canonsburg. Angling to ruffle a few feathers, the candy shop owner and his team, under the cover of darkness, secretly planted 2,000 ...

Animal protections need improvement

Over the years, television has provided an accurate perspective of the problem — “affliction” sometimes might be the better descriptive word — of hoarding. We’re referring to people who have, in essence, ruined their lives, homes and also, perhaps, relationships because of having collected and having remained hellbent on continuing to collect virtual “mountains” of household and other items “too good” to throw away, sell or give away. In many of the sad and otherwise troubling situations upon which television has focused, homes had become such a repository for the ...

NBA scandal was predictable to all but NBA

Everyone saw this coming except the NBA. It seemed obvious: An industry built on winning money instead of earning it will attract those willing to break the rules to make a buck. And yet, when news broke last week about FBI arrests, including a current NBA head coach and player, those who have promoted the marriage of sports and gambling said they were shocked and disappointed. “I was deeply disturbed,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “There’s nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition. And so I had a pit in my stomach, it was ...

Energy must remain priority

We know that the need for energy in both the U.S. and world is only growing. We’ve noted numerous times before that the role renewable energy can play in meeting that need will still be determined by as-of-yet-unrealized technological advances, and we’ve argued that until then, the United States and Pennsylvania need to be committed to meeting needs with conventional sources — natural gas and oil. We were encouraged that the Senate is looking at how to assist industries in exporting liquified natural gas. The reliability of foreign markets will improve the feasibility of ...

AI not yet ready for the courtroom

“Pro se” is a legal phrase that speaks to how an individual is represented in court. It is Latin, meaning “for self.” It refers to a party acting as his or her own advocate in a legal proceeding. While a lawyer may be the smart move, a person isn’t obligated to hire someone to do the job. There are obvious problems with this. Lawyers go to school for years to learn the ins and outs of the court system. Law school can have a high bar of entry to start. The education is a combination of grueling memorization, precise writing and creative problem solving. Even after all ...