As Christmas draws nearer, many of us cast nervous looks at our shopping lists and wonder how we will get it all done. So many loved ones for whom we want the perfect gifts and so little time!Some are tempted to turn to online shopping. It is quick and it is convenient, we think.What if the ...

If bomb threats or yelling fire in a crowded theater aren't protected speech under the First Amendment, should posting violent threats on Facebook to kill someone or shoot up a kindergarten class be protected?That is basically the question posed by oral arguments in a recent case heard by the ...

Crime has many costs - not the least of which is paid by taxpayers.It's a lesson we have learned the hard way recently with Chautauqua County sentencing more people to spend time in jail than the jail can hold. Through mid-November, 30 inmates from Chautauqua County had been relocated to ...

In the wake of the historic seven-foot snowfall in Buffalo last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has criticized the federally funded National Weather Service for not doing enough to predict the damaging storm. Cuomo says his $18.7 million initiative to install 125 weather sensor stations throughout the ...

White House aides say that if Congress attempts to establish new requirements that the Environmental Protection Agency disclose information such as the scientific basis for its rulings, President Barack Obama will veto the measures.Obama's aides say such requirements could delay or even prevent ...

There is no silver bullet when it comes to school discipline.During budget talks last May, Jamestown Public Schools board members approved a plan to end the night OSS/APP program. Program officials said it had many benefits, including acting as a deterrent for poor behavior. District officials ...

Thumbs up to quick action at the Greater Chautauqua-Jamestown Airport Robert H. Jackson Field for keeping its runways clear of ice during recent storms that closed regional airfields in Olean and Bradford. According to Bill Tucker, manager of Chautauqua County parks and airports, freezing rain ...

Is it reckless to have public debate? Is it reckless for people to ask for something other than the status quo? Is it reckless to question a governing body?These are questions worth asking in response to a comment made by Greg Rabb, D-At Large and City Council president, during a recent City ...

As leaks from the Pentagon grow in the wake of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's decision to step down, it becomes apparent part of the problem has been White House micromanaging of the military.President Barack Obama is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He has the authority to tell ...

We understand the reasons why Chautauqua County legislators would want more time on the job between elections.Elected officials serving two-year terms have long bemoaned the year it takes to learn the job only to spend the second year running for re-election. And, we're sure there would be some ...

Today is a good day to celebrate all of our area athletes, regardless of season.While only a finite few will ever win state championships, every one of the hundreds of teenagers in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties is worth admiring. Each and every one of those athletes, even those whose name ...

Rioters in Ferguson, Mo., held the attention of most in the media and the public Monday night. By its very nature, violence usually becomes the big story in situations such as that in Ferguson - and too many other places.But the few hundred rioters in Ferguson should not be permitted to hold ...

We often hear complaints from people who say elected officials don't stand up for the common person.Too often those complaints are valid.It is with that thought in mind that we commend the Town of Carroll for listening to town residents who opposed a 47.5 acre expansion of a landfill on Dodge ...

Thumbs up to Cummins Inc. for a $90 million project that will bring a new engine line to the Jamestown Engine Plant. County IDA officials recently heard about Cummins' plan to introduce a production line of block engines currently produced in Germany to the Jamestown plant. Ten new jobs, along ...

Most Democrats in Congress seem to have learned nothing from the Nov. 4 elections. By repudiating President Barack Obama's policies, many voters also were being critical of Democrat leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.Yet Democrat senators have voted to make Sen. Harry Reid, ...

Perhaps more than any other holiday we celebrate, Thanksgiving is a time when many Americans are sticklers for tradition.For many, that means turkey and homemade dressing, real mashed potatoes with gravy that does not come out of a package, green beans like Grandma used to make, and pumpkin ...

Would a majority of state legislators approve pay raises for themselves while the rest of us struggle to make ends meet thanks to years of costly policies, and even more costly inaction on other important matters?We're afraid they would.To make matters worse, we're afraid a majority of state ...

"Green" energy sources such as solar and wind power are the answer to all our needs, ultra-liberals claim. If Americans would just use more of them, we could shut down all our coal-fired power plants, claim some opponents of fossil fuels.Californians had an opportunity to demonstrate the ...

President Barack Obama has an interesting way of dealing with about 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States: Simply declare about half of them are not illegal.In the process, Obama has issued an open invitation to millions more people to come here illegally. He will do little or ...

It has been seven months since 16-month-old Nayla Hodnett died of injuries sustained during an apparent beating.No one has been charged in connection with the child's death. We know precious little about the crime. We know even less about who is responsible.This doesn't seem to be a Jamestown ...