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Opinion

Remember when county hotels were used for travelers?

In Our Opinion

There’s been a lot of discussion over housing the homeless in hotels over the past couple of years. That discussion is needed, because there are a lot of issues to be sorted out: how to provide the services needed to keep the homeless from simply being warehoused in hotel rooms, making sure the hotel spaces are livable in the first place, making sure spaces are appropriate for women and children and ensuring that issues aren’t created in the communities where hotels have contracts to house the homeless, as we have seen in Falconer and Ellicott. Here’s what’s been missing ...

Komatireddy is best choice for Attorney General

In Our Opinion

Saritha Komatireddy isn’t a household name for many New Yorkers. And that’s too bad, because she should be your next state Attorney General. We know all too well what we will get statewide by electing Letitia James as attorney general - more lawsuits that are so tinged by party politics that it’s hard to discern whether or not the case makes sense. That happens, in part, because James has been smacked down by courts often enough in her attempts to fill her prior campaign pledges to make life hard on President Donald Trump that it’s hard to tell where a case actually exists or ...

Four receive endorsements for state Supreme Court seats

In Our Opinion

Seven candidates are on the ballot for four justice positions on the state Supreme Court Eighth Judicial District that serves the Western New York counties, including Chautauqua. State Supreme Courts hear civil matters while the County Courts hear criminal matters. In making our selections for these positions, we consider ratings by the Erie County Bar Association to assist the public in the process. The Association notes candidates are evaluated on criteria necessary to hold judicial office, including integrity, experience, professional ability, education, reputation, industry, ...

Readers Forum

Letters To The Editor

Voting is free speech and should be protected as such To The Reader’s Forum: Why aren’t voters and their votes protected by the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment? When we vote, we speak; we express in writing whom we want to represent us and whom we do not want to represent us, based on shared political values. According to the Supreme Court, independent expenditures for political communications by corporate, organizational, and other wealthy donors, is protected Free Speech (Citizens United decision). Why not voters and their votes? Aren’t they more ...

Blakeman deserves a chance despite flaws

In Our Opinion

Voters across the state need to be realistic when deciding upon the race for New York state’s top position. No matter who wins, there will still be mandates and growing local property taxes. Neither incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul or challenger Bruce Blakeman are addressing those crises facing residents, counties, municipalities and school districts. Instead, this race has come down to personalities. In Hochul’s eyes, her challenger is a President Donald Trump disciple. On the opposing side, Blakeman has used a line from Trump’s “Apprentice” shows that is resonating with his ...

E-bikes: The “Wild West”

Local Commentaries

Few things are scarier than driving your car and then suddenly realizing there is an e-bike coming at you heading the wrong way on a one-way street. In eight years as a City Court Judge (2014-2021) handling Vehicle and Traffic tickets, among many other duties, there were no obvious issues with e-bikes and e-scooters. I do not recall a single traffic ticket related to the operation of an e-bike or e-scooter. Now everyday exposes area drivers to encountering e-bikes going against traffic, blowing past red lights and stop signs, randomly alternating between traveling on sidewalks and ...