Frewsburg Takes Over As County’s New Title Town

March 26, 2026

For a small county, Chautauqua has had more than its share of championship-winning teams and athletes over the years. Add the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Frewsburg girls basketball team to that list. Led by Jadyn Trocki and coach Sierra Beaver, the Lady Bears have entered rarified air by winning back-to-back championships after losing three starters from the 2024-25 team to graduation. Frewsburg became the first Section VI girls program to win back-to-back titles since Pine Valley won three straight from 2003 to 2005. The Bears are also the sixth Class C program to go back to back and ...

State Lawmakers Don’t Deserve A $42K Pay Raise

March 25, 2026

Surely, New York’s Democrats can’t be serious with yet another proposal to increase legislative salaries. Unfortunately, at least one is. Sen. James Sanders, D-South Ozone Park, is proposing a new increase in lawmakers’ salaries from $142,000 to $180,000. We’d say the bill is an April Fool’s Day joke, but it was introduced March 2 instead of April 1. It’s only been three years since state legislators gave themselves a $32,000 raise in exchange for a $35,000 limit on outside income. Sanders says state lawmakers have earned the raise by overseeing one of the largest state ...

No, The City Isn’t Coming For Christmas Decorations, Displays

March 24, 2026

Well, that quick City Council Housing Committee discussion escalated quickly. We don’t think the City Council is coming for the Christmas displays that everyone enjoys in December. Nor do we think the city is going to all of the sudden start issuing code violation citations for Halloween or Fourth of July displays. By and large, people enjoy holiday decorations. Even the grinchiest curmudgeon in our midst can find a little joy in a beautiful Christmas display on a cold December night. You don’t have to be Jack Skellington to appreciate a neighbor’s Halloween when taking the ...

Progress May Be Coming On Dunkirk Code Blue Sites

March 23, 2026

We’ve been critical of the lack of progress on transitional housing programs for the homeless in Chautauqua County in recent weeks. Transitional housing is still moving too slowly for our liking, but it’s good to see the county beginning to push for increased services in the north county. Jamestown’s homeless population exploded over the past few years, but the issue is becoming more pronounced in the north county too. We have to give credit where it’s due. And it’s good to see the county is working to find a Code Blue site for the north county similar to the ROME shelter ...

Crime Numbers Are Positive, But Underlying Issues Persist

March 21, 2026

There’s been a lot of discussion over the past few years among those who are concerned that Jamestown isn’t as safe as it once was. We have a feeling no city is as safe as it was back in the 1950s. But another year of data indicates 2022-23 may have been a crime spike rather than a new normal when it comes to crime in Jamestown. Overall crime decreased 2.35% in 2025. Incidents that required a police response have decreased from a six-year high of 41,412 in 2023 to 36,016 in 2025. It’s still more than it was in 2020 (32,173) but trending in the right direction. Burglaries have ...

Narrowing Tax Base Won’t Fund Programs

March 20, 2026

One of the most consequential trends in American politics is that Democrats are increasingly discovering what Republicans have known for decades: Voters don’t like taxes. Now the gubernatorial primary in California has become an experiment in how far tax cuts might take a Democratic politician in one of the country’s bluest states. Katie Porter, one of the most progressive legislators during her six years in Congress, is running for governor and polling in the middle of a crowded field. To boost her languishing campaign, she has proposed eliminating state income taxes — for ...