colin-mcnickle
Going into a new year, the Pittsburgh schools’ fiscal challenges are familiar | Opinion
The school district has a long way to go to address it high expenditures
With ticket sales plummeting during the pandemic, another reason why publicly financed stadiums are a bad idea | Opinion
What happens when, after tax dollars are dubiously conscripted for the benefit of private entities -- and at the expense of the public weal -- a pandemic hits?
Pa. casinos lost big in lockdown. Here’s how that happened | Opinion
A bright spot was the significant rise of online gambling in the period in which the coronavirus reared its ugly medical and economic head.
COVID-19 in W. Pa.: Pittsburgh’s office space vacancy problem complicated by pandemic | Opinion
The vacancy numbers already are striking – 15.9 percent, the highest in a decade, since the recession year of 2010. The pandemic could make it worse.
It’s time to take a second look at British Airways’ deal at Pittsburgh Airport | Opinion
At a cost of $1.5 million per year in airport subsidy to the carrier and the cessation of Delta summer flights to Europe, 2019 international travel at PIT was a huge disappointment.
Pa.’s state-owned universities need a radical overhaul to survive | Colin McNickle
The Legislature must address the surplus of state-supported university capacity in an increasingly competitive environment.
It’s long past time to fix Pa.’s property assessment/appeals mess | Colin McNickle
Pennsylvania’s public policy makers have failed their charge to come up with an assessment system that is transparent and equitable to the taxpayers.
Why is Pittsburgh still dogged by sluggish job growth? Take a closer look at the city’s economic policies | Opinion
The year-over-year loss – a decline of 0.3 percent – is the first since August 2016, when jobs dipped by 1,900 from August 2015. And it’s not as if Pittsburgh’s slide mirrors what is going on elsewhere
Can Pittsburgh International Airport afford a new terminal? | Opinion
This debt will almost certainly not be affordable with only the funds from non-operating revenues
Sure, gambling’s a winner for the state. For Pennsylvanians? That’s money they could be spending elsewhere | Opinion
The bottom line in all this is that the amount of realized gambling tax revenue is insufficient to keep pace with the growth in government expenditures.
What to do about the disparities and irrationalities in Pa. school funding? | Opinion
Just another reminder that more money doesn't always mean a better result.
Wolf’s teacher pay raise plan is a dubious prescription | Opinion
Wolf’s proposed mandate is the state’s attempt to narrow its embarrassing teacher pay gap while failing to address its underlying causes.