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Opinion

Chautauqua picks a new president

Local Commentaries

I must admit, upfront, that I am a bit biased in this matter... but I was delighted with the decision of Chautauqua Institution to hire Mark Johnson as its new President. He will be undertaking these new duties in the coming year. I first knew Mark as a kid growing up in Jamestown when we lived on Chestnut Street...he lived right down the street from us. We were good friends with his parents and, one summer, went with their family on a canoe trip to the Adirondacks. And, aside from that, how can you be against a “Johnson” from Jamestown...especially, this one? His grandfather ...

State inaction tolerates mayhem in prisons

Editor's Corner

Detailing a surge in violence, staff assaults, overdoses, exposures and deaths inside state prisons, New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association President Chris Summers declared the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to be in a “full-scale ...

Advancing civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia is troubling

In Our Opinion

No U.S. President has done more to confront Iran ’s nuclear program than Donald Trump, and one reason is to avert a nuclear arms race in the world’s most volatile region. Vice President JD Vance made that case recently, yet the Trump Administration is simultaneously advancing a civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that would abandon long-held proliferation safeguards. Why? A State Department letter to Sen. Ed Markey (D., Mass.) dated May 18 says the Saudi deal is undergoing “final review” before Mr. Trump can submit it to Congress, Reuters reports. The deal wouldn’t ...

Visit Chautauqua Institution this summer

Local Commentaries

CHAUTAUQUA—Progress often comes in steps rather than all at once. One encouraging step at Chautauqua Institution is particularly worth applauding. A few years ago a visitor came to Chautauqua other than by being invited by the institution. Shortly thereafter, the visitor was critical of the institution in a national forum. Never mind who the visitor was, what the visitor said, or what the forum was. None of those is important here. What is not only important but also noteworthy here is that the institution—the institution itself—has invited the visitor to give a ...

City seeing costs of deferred environmental maintenance

In Our Opinion

It’s no secret that Jamestown has a deferred maintenance problem. Before the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing $28.3 million ARPA shot in the arm, deferred maintenance or replacement of city vehicles and equipment was a common talking point as city department heads discussed their budgets with City Council members each fall. It’s still a topic, but the influx of federal money certainly improved the situation. But what we didn’t realize until the past couple of years was how far maintenance of the city’s physical environment had been neglected as city leaders tried to manage ...

CLCPA delay buys time to create reliable, environmentally friendly power grid

In Our Opinion

Debate in recent months over changes to the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act had us wondering if there was any common sense left in the halls of the state Capitol. In the wake of last week’s vote to push back some parts of the 2019 law, it’s good to see there’s at least a thimble full of common sense remaining in Albany. State lawmakers approved Several deadlines and benchmarks included in the 2019 CLCPA are being pushed back, including a 2024 deadline for regulations from the Department of Environmental Conservation that were the subject of a lawsuit by ...