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It’s too costly to become a teacher in state

It’s not easy becoming a teacher in Pennsylvania. I should know. As a student at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, I’ve been working on becoming one for the past three years. I’ve seen fellow education majors come and go, some lured to other job prospects with more earning potential, others deterred by cynical political efforts to turn parents and communities against public school teachers. And then there are the countless others who simply can’t afford the path to becoming a teacher. High tuition rates, lack of financial aid, and a 12-week unpaid student teaching ...

GOP needs to stop the blame game and work for the people

Just like always, legislative Republicans are looking for someone to blame for their own failures. They’re mad at the voters. They’re mad at the media. You better believe they’re mad at the Democrats. The problem is, and always was, the guy in their mirror. That guy is the one who went all-in on special interests, all-in on Trump and the MAGA extremists, and, all-in against working families. So, after controlling the state House for 24 of the last 28 years and controlling the state Senate nonstop since 1995 – 1995! – and delivering a record of failure the Washington ...

Decoration Day

Back in the day, Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day. When I was growing up, we decorated the graves of relatives in the cemetery with flowers from our garden. Grandpa had a lot of peonies. Then, there were tulips. Both of them blossomed close to Decoration Day. We often planted flowers on the graves as well. I always helped my grandfather with the planting. Usually, I took the sprinkling can and went for water. When we removed flowers, I took the dead ones to the box that was left for that. He planted for his sister. She had charge of their parents’ graves since there ...

Inches come and go throughout our life

We do not get a choice to be short or tall. I was 5-foot-9 by the time I was 12 – and I was miserable. I was not only the tallest girl in the seventh grade, I was the tallest person in a class of 167. It was not a happy distinction. At the age when boys were suddenly less disgusting, it was all the adorable, petite girls who were capturing their attention. I was suddenly a gawky stranger to the boys who were my baseball buddies just the year before. The rare boy who had the guts to ask me to dance usually smeared my chin with his towering Brylcreemed hair. Many of those stubby guys ...

‘Militia’ defense fails in Second Amendment argument

The letter of May 13 headlined, “One more second” concerning gun control is born of misinformation and emotions — not the meaning of our Constitution. To change the Constitution many points would require the lengthy and difficult processes defined in Article 5. This is unlikely to happen. In the letter, several statements were made about the Second Amendment and the words “a well regulated militia.” Most prominent was a challenge to the Supreme Court. The letter said, “The meaning of Amendment II is straightforward. What is a well Regulated Militia? Regulated by definition ...

Communities benefit from Airbnb hosts, guests

By JULIE RANSOM I grew up in Warren and now live in Pittsburgh. I wanted to share my experience as an Airbnb Host and participant in the process to legalize and regulate short-term rentals (STRs) in Pittsburgh. I’ve been a Host with Airbnb for nearly 15 years. What started as a way for me to pay my bills during a time of unemployment grew to my buying and operating three units as dedicated Airbnb rental properties. I first rented two rooms out of my house for five years. Then I sold my house and bought two properties — three units in total — to rent out through Airbnb. I also ...