Op-eds
When Will Leaders Act on Guns?
By Sen. Wayne D. Fontana This weekend, our country will be “celebrating” Memorial Day. A day to honor those who have died in our nation’s wars. At the same time, our country will also be mourning the innocent young lives lost because they were ruthlessly gun down by...
Voting by Mail is No Longer the Exception
By Sen. Wayne D. Fontana
As this frightening pandemic affects every facet of our lives, more and more citizens are doing what they can to keep safe by staying at home, practicing social distancing and keeping in touch with others as remotely as possible.
We cannot be sure when this nightmare will end, or when we can return to living our normal lives. Some project it will be weeks. Others have argued that it may take months or longer. Many medical experts have even warned that a second wave of Covid-19 may target us when the weather cools this autumn.
New Student Loan Program Aimed at Helping Students Afford Post-Secondary Education
By Sen. Wayne D. Fontana
Most college students look forward to summer break and a reprieve from the classroom, but few have the resources to take the “summer off” from one of their most difficult challenges: paying for their education.
A postsecondary education can be expensive, but it is an investment worth making. Whether a student attends the Community College of Allegheny County, learns a trade, or receives a four-year degree from the University of Pittsburgh, education is the key to a better future.
Gun Violence on Our Doorstep: Hatred and Gun Violence Have No Place Here
I write today with a heavy heart. Far too many times, we have all watched in horror as mass shootings play out across our nation. That nightmare has now come to pass in our own backyard. To our friends and neighbors in Squirrel Hill, we admire your spirit, strength...
It’s time to Stand up for the Sex Abuse Victims
Op-Ed Column by State Senator Wayne Fontana I was raised Catholic and spent all 12 years of schooling in Catholic schools. As an adult, I was married in the Catholic Church, raised my children in the faith and sent them to Catholic school. I still firmly believe in...
Inaction is Not an Option
Americans are fed up with this nation’s gun violence epidemic. It is intolerable.
Horrific accounts of deranged mass murderers using military-grade assault weapons to indiscriminately spray bullets into crowds of innocent people has become part of the regular news cycle. Lives are lost, families are destroyed and communities paralyzed.
Gas Drillers Need to Work With our Communities, Not Against Them
Op-Ed by Senator Wayne Fontana I was disappointed to hear that the Marcellus Shale Coalition is already scurrying into court in an attempt to overturn parts of Pennsylvania’s new gas drilling regulations. The industry needs to understand that our people are entitled...