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Right now, Washington, D.C. is a disgrace

At its best, Washington, D.C., is a city of timeless grandeur, of iconic monuments and world-historical centers of power. At its worst, it’s a harrowing place where a remorseless 14-year-old could steal your car. The confluence of these two Washingtons in the terrible early-morning beating of the DOGE employee Edward Coristine, known by his sobriquet “Big Balls,” has prompted President Trump to federalize the D.C. police and deploy the National Guard. The software engineer played a significant role in the frenetic push to reform the federal government that dominated the ...

Volunteerism, sportsmanship not a laughing matter

As we have editorialized over the years, we believe our communities should appreciate what a blessing the Little League World Series is for our region and appreciate the men and women whose hard work makes this event possible — especially the volunteers. We’ve also frequently noted how the young players in the Little League World Series exemplify the best of sportsmanship. We believe the families throughout our region are honored to share the thrill of victories and the commiseration of defeats with them. And so we were disappointed last Thursday when one of our duly elected ...

What to do if you encounter a bear

A wayward black bear has been spotted roaming around Canonsburg neighborhoods this week, prompting borough police to take to social media to urge people to use caution if they encounter the wild animal. As an addendum to that message, we urge those who feel compelled to take a selfie with the bear to consider their safety. The bear is not interested in mugging for a photo but rather locating its next meal and, if it’s a mama bear, keeping watch over her offspring. Far too many instances of people attempting to capture pictures with a wild animal have ended badly, some ...

Video a reminder of difficulties police face

Video released in late July by state Attorney General Letitia James of an officer-involved shooting in Mina earlier this year is graphic, disturbing and not for the faint of heart. It’s also an unfortunately real depiction of police work here in Chautauqua County, particularly when officers are responding to domestic incidents that are all too prevalent here. James released footage from two body-worn cameras that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of 66-year-old Mark Bemis, who died on June 18 following an encounter with members of the ...

Inaccurate depictions of past policy remain

When debating current issues, it’s helpful to avoid inaccurate depictions of past policy, especially on immigration, in which both opponents and advocates of President Donald Trump’s policies have views based on not altogether accurate renditions of the past. .Many opponents of Trump’s policies seem to believe the president wants to cut off legal immigration altogether, to shut America’s gates. But in recent times, around 800,000 individuals have taken the oath to become American citizens. In addition, about 1 million people have been granted green cards each year, making them ...

Stay safe on the zombie internet

Earlier this year, digital news organization The Wrap published a story reporting that cybersecurity firm CHEQ had declared up to 76 percent of Twitter’s traffic during the Super Bowl was bots. We won’t get into the details here — that’s by far the most important bit and you can find the rest easily enough — but it’s a critical detail that flew somewhat under the radar. In the last 30-odd years, the internet has cemented itself: in our workplace, in our culture and in our downtime. If you’re above a certain age, you likely remember the early internet as a wide-open ...