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Anchors Aweigh - And All That Jazz

Local Commentaries

When the Fredonia Opera House announced this concert, I closed my laptop and picked up the phone. The U.S. Navy Band’s Sea Chanters were at the Opera House for an evening concert last Friday and I wasn’t going to miss it. It seemed a shame for just Richard and me to enjoy it, so we invited two musician friends to join us. No, we weren’t generous big spenders. All tickets to all military band events are complimentary. Our four tickets arrived in the mail two days later. My friend Ann grew up playing the piano. These days she makes music mostly at church in both the choir and ...

Narrowing Tax Base Won’t Fund Programs

In Our Opinion

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 ...

Airport Commission Has Right Approach

Local Commentaries

Members of the Chautauqua County Airport Commission have the right approach on the pending Essential Air Services, or EAS, application to the federal government to resume commercial-air service at the Chautauqua County Jamestown airport. Patience. Patience. Patience. Their patience was evident at their March 11 meeting. The commission, as part of Chautauqua County government, supported a well-thought-out EAS application that includes everything it could reasonably be expected to include. The application was submitted in 2025. We all but knew this: It would take not many weeks ...

Ending Waivers Won’t Change Smoking Rates

In Our Opinion

Chautauqua County officials want to push the remaining organizations that have indoor smoking waivers to go smokefree. Smoking indoors in public places became largely illegal in New York state with the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act on July 24, 2003, banning smoking in most workplaces, restaurants, and bars. There are five remaining private organizations with waivers to allow indoor smoking - and those five clubs will begin paying more for the privilege: $300 annually to $650 in 2026, and to $1,000 in 2027. We can’t argue with the health benefits of going smokefree. There are ...

Ending Waivers Won’t Change Smoking Rates

In Our Opinion

Chautauqua County officials want to push the remaining organizations that have indoor smoking waivers to go smokefree. Smoking indoors in public places became largely illegal in New York state with the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act on July 24, 2003, banning smoking in most workplaces, restaurants, and bars. There are five remaining private organizations with waivers to allow indoor smoking - and those five clubs will begin paying more for the privilege: $300 annually to $650 in 2026, and to $1,000 in 2027. We can’t argue with the health benefits of going smokefree. There are ...

Lakewood Reinforces The Need For A Strong Lake Plan

In Our Opinion

The upcoming Chautauqua Lake Symposium is promised to be a time to describe a shift from study to action when it comes to Chautauqua Lake. It’s exciting news after so many years of study and debate. It is long past time, in our opinion, to begin working on the root causes of what ails Chautauqua Lake. That will mean the expensive job of tackling the internal loading of phosphorus in the lake that is the likely cause of algal blooms on the lake each year. And, action will mean continued maintenance to deal with invasive plants in the lake that make navigation a hassle for boaters - ...