O uch. That book cover really hurts. Portrayed against a sky-blue background is a drawing of a figure that is unmistakably Uncle Sam. He’s costumed in red-and-white-striped trousers and a sleeveless b...

To the Editor: At the Washington Township supervisors’ meeting on Oct. 14, I asked Supervisor Dave Bitonti what a takeover of the Municipal Authority of Washington Township would change. What would be...

TEACHERS ARE THE BACKBONE of any school. But even the best teachers can’t be in the classroom every day. They get sick, take time off or have other responsibilities that pull them away from their stud...

THE STORY OF “LES MISERABLES,” both the novel and the Broadway musical, tells us of a man who spent time in prison for theft. He committed the crime of stealing bread to feed a child. Grocery prices a...

Could the destruction of Gaza after Oct.7 have been avoided? The answer is yes—had Hamas so wished. First, if the Hamas leadership had simply complied with Israeli demands to (a) return the 251 hostag...

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL LIBRARY started as simply a few small texts: a Bible, a book of Psalms, a thin volume of simple verses on a shelf in a 17th-century classroom. That evolved. Benjamin Franklin saw l...

The St. Spyridon Hellenic Center was filled with patriotic pride Tuesday afternoon during the 34th annual Friends of the Monessen Public Library luncheon. The organization is an unaffiliated fundraisi...

For reasons that will baffle my many detractors, I am often asked for advice about being an opinion journalist. One of my standard responses is: You have to be willing to disappoint your biggest fans....

“President Trump has been saying, ‘Vote as if I was on the ballot,’ and that’s exactly what I’m going to do — not vote,” Brandon Tremaine, a graduate student in Texas who voted for Trump in 2020, told...

The news parody website The Onion recently ran a headline: “Christa Pike Sentenced to Lifetime Execution.” It seems somewhat bizarre that at a time when advocacy groups and mainstream media outlets ar...

ARNOLD PALMER BELIEVED IN having the right tool for everything he might encounter on a golf course. The Latrobe legend had a workshop at his home where he would putter around, making changes and playi...

IT CAN BE HARD TO GET PEOPLE to participate in local government. The typical municipal meeting agenda covers important but routine business. Approve the minutes. Pay the bills. Residents are more like...

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, expresses irritation when he is asked about his association with Hasan Piker, the streamer/provocateur who said America deserved 9/11. “I’m...

When we celebrate economic development in Washington County, the conversation often focuses on business attractions, existing expansions, and the family-sustaining jobs these investments bring to our ...

To the Editor: I am a customer of the Municipal Authority of Washington Township (MAWT). I am writing about how the Washington Township supervisors and their solicitor have handled Ordinance O-03-26, ...

LAMBS GROVE, Iowa — Move over, soccer moms, forget about NASCAR dads and dismiss even the “bunch of childless cat ladies” that JD Vance identified — all shorthands for critical voting groups in past e...

WHEN COMPANIES CREATE products that hurt people, the victims can sue. The legal system allows those who are harmed to seek compensation from those who are responsible. These liability laws are one of ...

ONE OF THE EASIEST WAYS to spend less money is to get rid of what you won’t notice. Want to spend less on your cellphone bill? Cut back on the data package you aren’t using up each month. Want to rein...

On October 7, 2023, Hamas killers slaughtered 1,200 people, more than twothirds of them civilians, inside Israel. For the ensuing three weeks, they refused Israel’s demands to turn over the 251 hostag...

“Botched” is a perfectly fine word for golf, cooking, or home repair. It seems inadequate for the taking of a life, even the life of Christa Pike, a heinous murderer. In 1996, a jury found Pike guilty...