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In Our Opinion

State Provides A Bit Of Relief On New City Garage Project

Building a new city fleet maintenance garage on Washington Street has basically been a citywide root canal for the past three years. There were questions about the site in the first place. Many questioned the use of a commercial parcel for the project. Then initial cost estimates were too low. Then inflation drove the cost even higher. Then there were delays being able to get some of the equipment. Last week, city residents finally got a shot of novocaine to dull the pain. State officials came through with $1 million that had been billed as part of the project’s financing when it ...

Gateway Lofts May Provide Major Boost In Fight Against Homelessness

It’s been a while since the Gateway Lofts project popped up in the news. The timing of last week’s county IDA approval of the first loan from the county’s newly established Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund to Southern Tier Environments for Living (STEL) could provide a big boost to the project as well as help curb the homeless population. Loan funding will help with STEL’s need to install a sub slab depressurization system, which is required by the state Department of Environmental Conversation before development can take place at the site of the former Chautauqua Hardware ...

Signs Point To Nuclear Renewal To Meet CLCPA

The handwriting has been on the wall for quite some time that New York wouldn’t be able to the requirements laid out in 2019’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. That was the controversial - and ultimately unrealistic - legislation that requires 70% of the state’s electricity come from renewable energy by 2030 while also reducing greenhouse gas reductions of 40% from 1990 levels by 2030. By 2035 the state is supposed to be generating 9,000 megawatts of power from offshore windpower. The state’s electric grid is supposed to be 100% renewable by 2040 with the state ...

School Threats Merit Harsh Consequences

Enough is enough. It’s time to play hardball with the miscreants who wreak havoc on school districts here and across the country by making threats of shootings or bombings. Almost every time, the threats turn out to be unfounded and were simply an attempt to disrupt the educational process. But because we live in these times when school shootings are all too familiar, school and law enforcement officials must take them seriously. When a threat — real or perceived — is made, the people and entities charged with keeping our children safe must operate with an abundance of ...

Bemus Point Electric Bus Vote Should Be Wake-Up Call For State

Voters in the Bemus Point Central School District aren’t the first to reject New York state’s mandate to begin buying electric school buses by 2027. We’re sure they won’t be the last, either. It should be obvious after the litany of such resolutions turned down throughout the state earlier this summer that voters have serious concerns about the cost of the buses, reliability in the colder winter months and a nagging feeling they’re being pushed into something they’re not comfortable with. The only unfortunate part of Bemus Point voters rejecting the electric school ...

Regents Make Good Choice Delaying Gender Neutral Sports

The state Board of Regents quietly delayed approval of a regulation that would have approved more gender neutral sports in New York’s high schools. It was a good decision to do so - and we hope the delay is lengthy. There was no explanation for the delay nor discussion at the most recent Board of Regents meeting, though a state Education Department spokesperson said the delay was prompted by the amount of comments received during the 60-day public comment period over the summer. There is a lot of general unease among many members of the general public with the regulations, ...