In Our Opinion

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Thumbs up to Kayla Franchina, a Gerry native who has taken a high school project to collect and distribute prom dresses to underprivileged teen women with her to Alfred State. Project Prom Dress, which Franchina founded while a student at Cassadaga Valley Central School, focuses on collecting donated prom dresses, accessories, and cash donations for underprivileged teenage women. The group also hosts dress drives and sponsors proms at low-income schools. After transitioning the project to Alfred State and helping to form it into a highly regarded club, Kayla began acting as a mentor to new club members. She now helps form connections between club members and members of the community in order to facilitate donations and keep the project moving forward. For her efforts, Franchina was recently awarded a Newman Civic Fellows Award from Campus Compact, one of less than 200 students in the country to receive the award and the only Alfred State student ever to receive the award. The Newman Civic Fellows Award is given to those student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in enacting positive and lasting change in their communities through service, research, and advocacy. Franchina is just the latest example for all of us that it is never too early for someone to begin making a difference in their community.

Thumbs up to the Jamestown Police Department for creating a way to properly dispose of unused prescription drugs year-round. The public can access the box 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and drop off a wide variety of unwanted medications including prescription medications, controlled substances, over-the-counter-medications, pet medications, vitamins and supplements, medicated ointments, lotions, creams, oils and liquid medications in leak-proof containers. The program does not accept needles, syringes, thermometers, IV bags, bloody or infectious waste, personal care products, empty containers or hydrogen peroxide. Given the way prescription medication has been shown to lead into use of harder drugs, it is important Jamestown residents properly dispose of prescription drugs. City residents should be sure to use this service.

Thumbs up to Robert Kochersberger, a Sinclairville native, 1968 Cassadaga Valley graduate, 1972 St. Bonaventure graduate and former Post-Journal reporter who will appear Monday on “Jeopardy!” The quiz show airs locally at 7:30 p.m. on WIVB, channel 4 and WSEE, channel 5, in Jamestown. Kochersberger has been teaching journalism at N.C. State since 1986, is an expert on muckraker Ida Tarbell and routinely writes for the Raleigh News & Observer. He has also been a Fulbright professor in Yugoslavia, Thailand, Egypt and Slovenia.

In Our Opinion

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Thumbs up to lending a hand to help our environment. Jamestown Community College will host its Earth Day festivities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday. Weather permitting, Earthfest will be held outside the Hamilton Collegiate Center near the pond. Otherwise, the program is held in the Student Union. At noon, a display of live birds of prey will be presented by falconry expert Mike Dupuy. Co-sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Dupuy’s program focuses on falconry as a sport, a profession, and a metaphor for universal human aspirations. Earthfest also features various educational displays, the sale of ecofriendly products and food, and a tree seedling adoption made possible by donations from the Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District. A “Nature Art and Literature Corner,” featuring works by JCC faculty and students, is a new addition to this year’s Earthfest. Area residents more interested in physically pitching in can participate in the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy’s clean-up of its Whitney Point Preserve on April 26 and the annual M&T Bank Hands on Jamestown Cleanup sponsored by the Jamestown Renaissance Corp. on May 17.

Thumbs down to irresponsible burning. A Lakewood resident learned the hard way why the state has a ban on open burning from March 15 to May 15 when a trash fire spread to his garage. New York adopted tougher restrictions on open burning in 2009 to help prevent wildfires and reduce pollution emissions. “It’s an important law. We’ve had some (brush fires) that have moved toward buildings – they can cause some serious fire events,” Sally Carlson, North Harmony town supervisor, recently told The Post-Journal. The regulations allow residential brush fires in towns during most of the year but prohibit such burning in spring months when most wildfires occur. Fire department data for 2010 through 2013 showed a 56 percent reduction in wildfires during the burn ban period for these years as compared to the previous five years. If you must burn trash in the spring, please do it carefully.

Thumbs up to a summer full of events for Civil War buffs. The Cattaraugus County Museum will host its Civil War Event Series at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Thursdays of the month starting June 12 and ending Aug. 28. Events include Earl McElfresh speaking on “Mapping the Civil War: Lee vs. Sherman,” Allen Hopkins speaking on “Songs of the Civil War,” Rush the Growler speaking on “Music of the Civil War/154th Regt.,” Craig Braack on “Prisons of the Civil War,” Larry Kilmer on the topic “Railroads During the Civil War” and Craig Senfield on “President-Elect Lincoln.” The museum will cap the summer series with a celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the dedication of the museum on Sunday, Sept. 7, from noon-4 p.m.

In Our Opinion

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Thumbs up to the Lawson Boating Heritage Center for its oral history project focused on the steamboat fleet that used to ferry passengers from one end of Chautauqua Lake to the other until the early 1950s. Lawson Center officials want to capture memories, stories and interesting historical information from area residents who rode on, worked on or enjoyed watching the ships. The center is home to a large collection of steamboat artifacts and photographs, including some of the last surviving pieces of The City of Jamestown steamer. The center wants to add human stories related to the steamboat era – funny, romantic, scary, technical or simple memories. Those with stories to share can call David Colburn at 386-3907 to set up an appointment for an interview and video-taping session.

Thumbs down to the cost of mismanaged paperwork. Forestville taxpayers are bearing the brunt of a hefty tax increase of up to 445 percent in part because a 2009 building demolition costing $250,000 and the $150,000 waterline replacement on Bennett State Road. The demolition’s bond anticipation note would reach its five-year maturity in November, but because of an unfulfilled conversion to a revenue anticipation note, the debt is considered delinquent and must be repaid this year. Because the demolition debt and the Bennett State Road waterline bond anticipation note are with the same bank, the bank has refused to renew the waterline bond anticipation note, effectively making that debt due this fiscal year. Forestville officials are asking for the county’s help in paying for the building demolition and are also investigating selling some land to help lessen the village’s tax increase. One promise not fulfilled means taxpayers in Forestville could see the highest property tax rate in New York state this year.

Thumbs up to the Southern Tier Xpress, the new name for Jamestown’s North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) hockey team. The name, devised by Bud Tomassi, was announced Monday after a month-long “Name the Team” contest and accounts for the region’s history with the railroad, the Gateway Train Station on Second Street and the I-86 corridor. The NA3HL is a top level Tier 3 league in the North American Hockey League association. The Xpress will also encompass a pair of youth feeder teams including an under-14 and an under-16 team. Tryouts for the feeder teams will be held on April 21, 23 and 24 from 6-9 p.m. at the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena with tryouts for the Xpress NA3HL team set for May 16-18 at the arena.

In Our Opinion

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Thumbs up to the public for their role in taking an alleged armed robber off the streets. Jamestown Police Dept. Capt. Robert Samuelson attributes charges Thursday night against Thomas Lawson of Jamestown in connection with late-March robberies at CVS in Brooklyn Square and the 7-11 store on East Second Street to tips from the public, including recognizing a sweatshirt logo. According to Samuelson, investigators have several leads for the second person involved in the CVS robbery and that an acquaintance of Lawson is a possible person-of-interest. “It all came down to tips from the public,” Samuelson told The Post-Journal on Thursday.

Thumbs down to a secret “Cuban Twitter” communications network designed to undermine the Communist government in Cuba. An Associated Press investigation found the network was built using secret shell corporations and financed through a foreign bank. Congressional hearings are focused on whether lawmakers were adequately informed about the program. We wonder if they shouldn’t instead be asking why tax dollars are being spent so foolishly. The U.S. has wasted millions of dollars since the Eisenhower administration on idiotic plans to destabilize Cuba. To find out such moronic efforts are still ongoing boggles the mind.

Thumbs up to recognizing the unsung heroes who do great things in our community. The Southwestern NY Chapter of the American Red Cross along with Cummins Engine Jamestown Engine Plant is requesting nominations for this year’s Hometown Hero celebration. Nominations are accepted for citizens in the following categories; humanitarian, firefighter, law enforcement, emergency and medical personnel, workplace, youth and animal rescue. Nomination forms will be accepted until Monday. A celebration breakfast and recognition will occur on May 16 at the Moon Brook Country Club in Jamestown. Anyone who knows of an area resident who deserves recognition can visit www.redcross.org/swny or call the American Red Cross at 664-5115 to get a nomination form.