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Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Thumbs up to a Freedom of Information Law reform bill signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo recently. The reforms are good for the public by requiring agencies to pay the legal fees of those who successfully challenge a FOIL denial. Investigations were hindered in the past by recalcitrant government agencies that knew they could keep information secret by delaying the release of information to the point that people had to file lawsuits. It is expensive to file lawsuits and spend time in court, after all, and often governments have budgeted money for just such occasions. Most people do not. The state Legislature and Cuomo did the right thing by removing one more hurdle to the free flow of information.

Thumbs up to the last year of a Jamestown tradition. For about 10 years the Christmas light display at 157 Newton Ave. has been a hit among the community. The tradition was begun by Richard Manuelle upon his retirement from Marlin Rockwell Corporation, now SKF Bearings, where he was responsible for maintaining the safe operation of the machinery throughout the facility. The decade-long tradition continued like clockwork until Manuelle’s wife, Bonnie, passed away in December 2015. Last year, according to his children, Manuelle set up the display but only turned it on perhaps a half dozen times, causing many in the community to believe that he was done. Richard died in October of this year after battling cancer for several years. His light display is active and can be seen by all on any given night, thanks to the efforts two of his children — Matt and Dawn — who had some assistance from neighbors and friends of the family. Matt and Dawn Manuelle said the process of getting the display working to their father’s specifications was extremely involved, but were successful in large part due to the several binders full of instructions Richard left behind. Take the opportunity to view Manuelle’s light display one last time — you won’t be disappointed.

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