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More deaths than births soon to be national problem

One hundred years ago, Pennsylvania was a national colossus, with 38 congressional districts and the same number of votes in the Electoral College. It had that clout because, well, a lot of people called the Keystone State home. They still do, but the sunbelt and other parts of the United States have outpaced Pennsylvania. Today, the commonwealth has half as many congressional districts. It’s not news that Pennsylvania has been losing population, with its rural communities being hit particularly hard. Counties in the Pittsburgh region, including Washington, Greene, and Fayette ...

Groundhog Day anticipation builds

Pennsylvania’s most famous resident emerges this week during a winter marked by bone-chilling temperatures but little snow. Weather data from the National Weather Service shows temperatures in Central Pennsylvania dipping 3-5 degrees below normal since December. Yet snow accumulation sits 8.2 inches below average, with only sporadic dustings coating the valleys between Harrisburg and State College. The winter pattern has confused both meteorologists and locals, who typically expect decent snowfall with cold temperatures. A persistent arctic air mass combined with dry conditions has ...

Moving one step closer to a sound energy policy

We agree with U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, and U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Howard: The Biden administration’s hostility to conventional domestic energy contributed to the rising cost of living that proved too burdensome to Pennsylvania families and voters. And the Trump administration’s positions on energy policy are promising and a reason for families and businesses throughout our region to be hopeful. “During his first term, the U.S. became a net energy exporter for the first time in 70 years, we led the world in oil and natural gas production, and families saved an ...

TikTok and the Freedom of Speech

“Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press ...” – First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution During the oral argument before the Supreme Court in the famous Pentagon Papers case, a fascinating colloquy took place between Justice William O. Douglas and the lawyer for the government. The case was about whether the government could prevent the New York Times and Washington Post from publishing secret documents that demonstrated that American generals had been misleading President Lyndon Johnson and he had been lying to the American public during ...

Did taxpayers win their bet on gambling?

Last week, Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield had some impressive payouts. It wasn’t because someone bet on black or stayed at the slot machine until a jackpot came up. The awards weren’t paid in poker chips. The prize was $19 million in casino-generated funds distributed to organizations with a public interest. The money comes from the Local Share Account via the Commonwealth Financing Authority. The Local Share Account was created by state law as part of the program to give back to the people from the money spent in gambling venues. The $19 million was just one county and ...

State should eye incentives for service roles

Powerful winds sometimes accompany storms passing through the Southern Alleghenies region comprising Blair, Bedford, Cambria, Somerset, Huntingdon and Fulton counties. However, this region is blessed in not having to endure windy onslaughts such as the hurricane-like Santa Ana winds that are responsible for the devastating, fast-spreading blazes that are wreaking havoc and causing mass destruction in California’s Los Angeles area. The recovery there, when all of the blazes finally are extinguished and a full assessment of the devastation is completed, is going to be long, costly, ...