‘Super’ time on someone else’s dime

February 23, 2023

Newly elected Gov. Josh Shapiro promised transparency when it came to Pennsylvania’s government. In a way we can agree. When Shapiro talks about running an open administration, people can see right through him. Since ascending to the governorship, Shapiro has kept secret the list of donors who paid for his lavish inaugural. He forced transition team members to sign nondisclosure agreements that carry hefty financial penalties if they tell anyone what was going on. Now, the new governor has dipped into the least edifying corner of Harrisburg culture by using Team Pennsylvania ...

PA’s growing crisis: Recruiting police

February 22, 2023

As Pennsylvania families gather around their dinner tables, I hope they’ll say a small prayer for the three Pennsylvania police officers we’ve already lost this year: Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire, McKeesport Police Officer Sean Sluganski and Temple University Officer Christopher Fitzgerald. Chief McIntire and Officers Sluganski and Fitzgerald made the ultimate sacrifice. They are heroes. It’s in their memory that I hope state lawmakers can come together to help law enforcement do their jobs safely — and return home to their families. That means giving them ...

Higher ed’s role in tackling energy crisis

February 21, 2023

Many of us will remember 2022 as a year that brought the reality of climate change closer to home. The impacts were hard to ignore: catastrophic heat waves followed by flooding in Pakistan, drought and disappearing rivers across Europe and major flooding throughout the United States were just a few of the disasters that marked a year of extremes. Now that we moved into a new year, we’re struck yet again by the urgency of the situation and the critical role that institutions of higher education play in combatting climate change, while also addressing the need for energy transition. ...

How Grinch stole the power grid

February 14, 2023

As a holiday cold snap gripped Pennsylvania in December, energy officials warned of rolling blackouts and called on families to turn down their thermostats and turn off the decorations. Truly, this was a Christmas gift with batteries not included. How did the power grid become so feeble that your Christmas tree threatened to bring it down? Much of the blame rests on the movement to halt the use of carbon fuels altogether, replacing them with sources that can’t come close to meeting demand. During the height of the cold spell on Christmas Eve, our grid operator was urging ...

Floridation improves oral health

January 16, 2023

Everyone knows you should brush and floss your teeth twice a day. But did you know that even when common fluoride products such as toothpaste and mouth rinses are used, fluoridated water reduces tooth decay another 25 percent among children and adults? Studies show that school children in communities with better water fluoridation have, on average, two fewer cavities than children in communities that do not adjust fluoride in the public water. Fluoride naturally occurs in our drinking water. Based on more than 75 years of health research, some municipalities safely increase ...

As Christmas nears, good and bad news

December 13, 2022

Award-winning actress Kirstie Alley was diagnosed with cancer shortly before her untimely death at the young age of 71. Grammy award winning Celine Dion has recently been diagnosed with a neurological disease called Stiff Person Syndrome. The disease attacks about one in a million and is a very debilitating disease. She is 54 years old. Disease, death and bad news can attack anyone at any age and none of us are immune. Good news came to Britney Griner who spent 10 months in a Russian prison for allegedly having hashish oil in her suitcase at a Moscow airport. She was ...