Author
Constitutional amendments are better determined during high voter turnout elections | Opinion
In the 2020 presidential election, more than 6.9 million Pennsylvanians voted. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, more than 5 million PA voters participated. Those would have been better times for voters to make the important decisions about amending our state constitution, when so many more voters would already be coming to the polls or submitting their mail-in or absentee ballots.
It’s past time to make critical investments in public health for communities of color | Opinion
Seventy-eight percent of all COVID-19 cases where patients were hospitalized, needed a ventilator, or died from COVID-19 were in relation to obesity or obesity-related diseases. This directly impacts the Black population, who are 1.3 times more likely to have obesity in comparison to the Non-Hispanic White population.
Clean Energy: A spiritual call to action | Opinion
Climate change impacts us all, but particularly communities of color, including Black communities, who experience climate change impacts first and worst. Americans of color breathe in 40 percent more pollution than white Americans; 68 percent of Black Americans live within thirty miles of a coal plant; and the poor, elderly, and marginalized around the world are least equipped to prepare for or respond to the myriad threats of climate change.
Amid renewed push to expand Pell Grant eligibility, Pa. must remove barriers for students | Opinion
Launched in 2015, the Second Chance Pell experiment provides Pell Grants to incarcerated men and women for enrollment in postsecondary education programs provided in state and federal prisons. Through these learning opportunities, incarcerated adults can earn an associate of arts degree, industry-recognized certificates, or general coursework that will ultimately boost their opportunities for employment when they re-enter society.
Pay your own way USGA | Colin McNickle
By Colin McNickle Neither a financial nor moral (and certainly not a “good-government”) case can be made for using taxpayer dollars to subsidize the uber-rich sport of professional golf at the Oakmont Country Club, says a senior scholar at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “In sum … there is no reasonable case to be […]
If we fail to act on women’s reproductive rights, Pa. will become the next Texas | Opinion
By Liz Hanbidge Pennsylvania is more like Texas than you think. Recently I began receiving more frequent calls about women’s reproductive rights. Such calls are not uncommon for me, but usually they relate to Pennsylvania, the commonwealth in which I serve as an elected representative. Lately, though, people mostly wanted to talk about Texas. I have […]
No reason to hate the NFL playing ‘The Black National Anthem’ | John A. Tures
There’s a real excitement about the NFL, as fans showed up and tuned in to games, with any talk of a boycott a distant memory. But that doesn’t mean America’s highest rated sport isn’t being attacked for something new. This time, the league is being targeted for playing the so-called “Black National Anthem.” Are the criticisms really warranted?
Seven charts that explain the 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic | Analysis
We can break the pandemic down into 5 phases and learn from all of them: Scramble, Learn, Respond, Test and Hope.
5 facts anti-abortion activists get wrong | Trish Zornio
Misinformation on basic biology has led to bad policy for pregnant people.
We need to break the cycle of gun violence. That starts with us | Opinion
No one wins with this ongoing violence, the wasted human potential, and the current insidiousness of military-grade weapons on our city streets.
Some reflections on the lessons of 9/11 | Opinion
We need to do our homework as a democracy and abandon denialism.
These Black children changed American history. Never forget them | Michael Coard
Say their names: Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carol Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, and Sarah Collins