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Lessons Learned From Capra

Local Commentaries

Coming home from college for winter break, I decided to revisit a classic winter film while recovering from my wisdom teeth extraction. That movie was It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra. Although the film was released in 1946, it contains themes that transcend eras. One element in particular stood out to me this time around: the conduct of Mr. Potter, the film’s main antagonist. His fixation on money and control feels eerily similar to how modern private equity reshapes communities one acquisition at a time. What I appreciate most about Capra’s portrayal of Potter ...

Years Of Fulfilling Christmas Dreams

Local Commentaries

Marcy’s vacation week offers a holiday column excerpted from her book, Rounding Third … originally from 2006. Christmastime is pure nostalgia. Many of my holiday memories began with our children’s arrival. I will never forget the total exhaustion of falling into bed after filling the last stocking and cleaning up the toy construction evidence. The elves who visited our house weren’t super handy or organized. Depending on how successful last-minute wrapping and battery searches were, bedtime followed – during a lucky year at 2:00am. Often much later. I never felt as stringy ...

Punishments Must Be Harsher For Student-Teacher Sex Crimes

In Our Opinion

Twice in less than two months, area teachers have been accused of inappropriate conduct with students. First came news that the Westfield Academy and Central School Board of Education was aware of claims against a current staff member accused of inappropriate behavior. Then, just a couple of weeks ago, a Pine Valley teacher and coach was charged with charged with third-degree sexual abuse, forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child. Slisz turned himself in at the Chautauqua County Jail for central arraignment. He is to answer the charges in the Town of Cherry Creek ...

Closure Of College Fitness Facility Upsets City Resident, Longtime User

Local Commentaries

The following is a response to an opinion in the Jamestown Post-Journal on Dec. 4, 2025. I was a JCC Total Fitness member from 2000 to 2020, until it was closed down by the state in early March 2020 due to COVID. JCC Life Fitness had to close, half way through my 2019-2020 membership. In 2024 I found out via word of mouth that JCC Total Fitness had reopened. I closed my Planet Fitness membership which I had from fall 2022 to March 2024 and I rejoined JCC Total Fitness. I have gone to Life Fitness the last 1.5 years, five days a week for 1.5 hours each day. I don’t go to the YMCA due ...

The Lake Freezes Before Christmas

Local Commentaries

We have lived on Chautauqua Lake now for over 30 years and have very seldom seen the lake, as it now is, iced-over before Christmas. It may have happened once or twice before, but then, I think, it was only partially frozen. The snowfall this year has also been significant, i.e. the kind of snow you usually see in January or February. At last count, the Village of Mayville had recorded 58.9 inches of snow. We have already seen, in December, a few ice fishermen on the lake—a scene that usually takes place in mid to late January. Winter is upon us! The other day an eagle landed out ...

Readers’ Forum

Letters To The Editor

Society Is Challenged By Growing Use Of Gibberish There’s a scourge in our society that gets worse with each passing day. The affliction about which I write is politically correct speech, also known as the language of cowards. For the most part, this is based on a simple premise that involves taking an intelligible word or phrase and burying it in a barrage of syllables to cloak its true meaning — all to make sure no one will ever be offended by words. Here are a few examples: Waterboys at football games are now known as “hydration specialists”. When a crime is committed, a ...