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Opinion

Officials Need To Push Harder On Homeless In Area Hotels

In Our Opinion

It’s frustrating, as we noted recently, that local officials are in the position of writing a letter to demand action from the state to help hasten the move away from the use of hotels to house the homeless. It’s frustrating to see the state continue to write blank checks for the practice even as the cost to house the homeless in hotels has increased 400% over the past six years. But it’s just as frustrating to see the same aimless direction over the past two years from local officials. We’ve been hearing for two years that the county is working on a plan to create ...

Raise The Age Should Not Be Expanded

In Our Opinion

A 24-year-old Jamestown man has been indicted by a Chautauqua County Grand Jury in relation to a shooting on East Second Street in July 2025. The other person charged in relation to the same shooting is also 24. Imagine a future in which both of those are tried in Family Court. It’s entirely possible if some Democrats have their way. Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, D-Brooklyn, is proposing the creation of a new “New Young Adult Offender” status that would cover individuals between the ages of 19 and 25 under the states’ Raise the Age program. Raise the Age went into effect in ...

Something To Know About Trees

Local Commentaries

By Margot Russell Next time you are walking through a swath of trees, whether on a trail near Westfield or in the shady confines of your backyard, I want you to picture this: that the trees all live in their own small village, with rambunctious saplings playing the role of the village youngsters, the elder trees playing the stately kings and their court, and the newly established trees the princes waiting for their elders to fall so they can take their rightful place in the sunshine. And don’t believe for a second that the trees are inanimate and idol. There are dramas being played ...

Ah, The Luck Of The Irish

Local Commentaries

There are many celebrations of holidays where we gather with friends and party with strangers, depending on where we might be, that might involve special dress, special colors, special greetings, songs, and/or traditions. Themes are very important in the celebrations of these days. Some come with a day off from work or school, some become a little more excitable (rowdy?), but celebrating them makes for a very enjoyable time. This coming Tuesday, March 17, is one of those days. It’s the yearly celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, where we see many shamrocks, green clothes, festive ...

How Is Housing Homeless In Hotels Not On State’s Radar Already?

In Our Opinion

Only in New York state is coming up with an acceptable letter to send to state officials about an unacceptable situation considered progress. But that’s the situation we’re in when it comes to housing the homeless in hotels. Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Andrew Molitor put together a roundtable discussion with about 20 local elected officials, police officials and county officials to discuss alternatives to housing the homeless in hotels like the Quality Inn in Falconer or the Comfort Inn in Ellicott on the outskirts of Jamestown. Borrello said during the meeting he ...

Mother Nature Interferes With Warfare

Local Commentaries

Sometimes we think that, as humans, with all of our technology, we can conquer anything. It just takes a hurricane or a flood to remind us of who really is in charge. The same is true in warfare. You can have all of the fancy software and technology in the world—but war still takes place over real terrain in real places. I was thinking of this recently when the war news came out that some 200 oil tankers were trapped, stuck in the Persian Gulf because of the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Through that strait runs 20% of the world’s oil, so with its closing, oil prices jumped ...