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Reader’s Forum:

Letters To The Editor

Where are the Communists everyone’s talking about? To The Reader’s Forum: It’s election season which means it’s time for politicians to, either, tout their accomplishments if things have gone well, or attack their opponent if things are going poorly. In the spirit of election season, I have heard in my community about the rise of communism. Our president has spoken of protecting Americans from the threat of communism, though this idea has mostly emerged with the midterms. It’s a fascinating, if ridiculous, idea. True communism is identified with State control of Industry, ...

DiNapoli has earned another term as state comptroller

In Our Opinion

Incumbent state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has a strong challenger this year in Republican challenger Joseph Hernandez. Hernandez has raised questions about DiNapoli's role in the growth of the state's debt load, wants to create a Medicaid Fraud Strike Team as Medicaid spending increases and fraud convictions decrease and proposes additional checks on $21 billion in state aid to New York City. Hernandez, like past challengers to DiNapoli, also wants to pull back from investing state pension funds in accordance with the state’s environmental, social and governance goals and invest ...

The importance of public water systems

Local Commentaries

This past week marked a big event at our house—we were finally connected to the public sewer system that has just been completed along the west side of Chautauqua Lake. When it happened, it was really a “non-event.” The toilet flushed the same way, the drains in the sink were no different than before—yet, we knew that our wastewater was now going to a better place—the public sewage treatment plant in Celoron. Actually, I think that I slept better that night, knowing that this 10-year odyssey of getting sewers up the lake had finally come to a successful conclusion at our ...

How much do you want to pay for a SAFER Jamestown?

In Our Opinion

In 2023, yellow signs proclaiming the need for a SAFER Jamestown were seen on almost every block in the city. In 2027, we all get to pay for a SAFER Jamestown. Mayor Kim Ecklund’s 2027 budget proposal comes with a 7.4% property tax increase driven by a lot of costs the city doesn’t have much control over - and one big one that the city does control. We’re talking about fire department staffing and the fork in the road the city has reached after hiring four firefighters paid for with American Rescue Plan Act funding and eight firefighters paid for with federal SAFER grant ...

AI & MI : dynamic duo of destruction?

Local Commentaries

"The end is near." That familiar refrain has echoed for millennia without coming to fruition. The argument has been made that the rapid pace of artificial intelligence has brought the world closer to that apocalyptic end. Bill Gates has issued a stark warning that artificial intelligence could cause "a billion deaths" if it falls into the wrong hands. He called for mandatory government regulation and internal monitoring safeguards, stating a bipartisan "kill switch" alone is insufficient. Sam Altman, the chief executive of Open AI, joined others in the artificial intelligence ...

The times are a changin’

Local Commentaries

I enjoyed reading Mr. Kidder’s perspective about the history of public education in our county and his understanding and respect for the value of public education. I also appreciated the piece about the Board of Regents’ decision to decouple Regents exams from graduation requirements. I’d like to provide my perspective on this change. First, I understand the notion that Regents exams can provide a level of rigor and accountability to a school district. After all, when there is a standard students must demonstrate to receive a diploma, it can hold an institution accountable to ...