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In Our Opinion

Progress May Be Coming On Dunkirk Code Blue Sites

We’ve been critical of the lack of progress on transitional housing programs for the homeless in Chautauqua County in recent weeks. Transitional housing is still moving too slowly for our liking, but it’s good to see the county beginning to push for increased services in the north county. Jamestown’s homeless population exploded over the past few years, but the issue is becoming more pronounced in the north county too. We have to give credit where it’s due. And it’s good to see the county is working to find a Code Blue site for the north county similar to the ROME shelter ...

Crime Numbers Are Positive, But Underlying Issues Persist

There’s been a lot of discussion over the past few years among those who are concerned that Jamestown isn’t as safe as it once was. We have a feeling no city is as safe as it was back in the 1950s. But another year of data indicates 2022-23 may have been a crime spike rather than a new normal when it comes to crime in Jamestown. Overall crime decreased 2.35% in 2025. Incidents that required a police response have decreased from a six-year high of 41,412 in 2023 to 36,016 in 2025. It’s still more than it was in 2020 (32,173) but trending in the right direction. Burglaries have ...

Narrowing Tax Base Won’t Fund Programs

One of the most consequential trends in American politics is that Democrats are increasingly discovering what Republicans have known for decades: Voters don’t like taxes. Now the gubernatorial primary in California has become an experiment in how far tax cuts might take a Democratic politician in one of the country’s bluest states. Katie Porter, one of the most progressive legislators during her six years in Congress, is running for governor and polling in the middle of a crowded field. To boost her languishing campaign, she has proposed eliminating state income taxes — for ...

Ending Waivers Won’t Change Smoking Rates

Chautauqua County officials want to push the remaining organizations that have indoor smoking waivers to go smokefree. Smoking indoors in public places became largely illegal in New York state with the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act on July 24, 2003, banning smoking in most workplaces, restaurants, and bars. There are five remaining private organizations with waivers to allow indoor smoking - and those five clubs will begin paying more for the privilege: $300 annually to $650 in 2026, and to $1,000 in 2027. We can’t argue with the health benefits of going smokefree. There are ...

Ending Waivers Won’t Change Smoking Rates

Chautauqua County officials want to push the remaining organizations that have indoor smoking waivers to go smokefree. Smoking indoors in public places became largely illegal in New York state with the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act on July 24, 2003, banning smoking in most workplaces, restaurants, and bars. There are five remaining private organizations with waivers to allow indoor smoking - and those five clubs will begin paying more for the privilege: $300 annually to $650 in 2026, and to $1,000 in 2027. We can’t argue with the health benefits of going smokefree. There are ...

Lakewood Reinforces The Need For A Strong Lake Plan

The upcoming Chautauqua Lake Symposium is promised to be a time to describe a shift from study to action when it comes to Chautauqua Lake. It’s exciting news after so many years of study and debate. It is long past time, in our opinion, to begin working on the root causes of what ails Chautauqua Lake. That will mean the expensive job of tackling the internal loading of phosphorus in the lake that is the likely cause of algal blooms on the lake each year. And, action will mean continued maintenance to deal with invasive plants in the lake that make navigation a hassle for boaters - ...