Support Remains Strong For School Merger — So Far

March 3, 2026

After almost a year of kicking the tires on a potential merger, support for a combined Clymer, Sherman and Panama school district remains strong among those who are engaging in the process early. Voters on the 2025 school budgets in the districts approved starting the discussion process with 73% approval in May 2025. Almost a year later, results from a community survey distributed to households in the three districts showed 78% of the 798 households responding still supporting the idea of a merger. That’s an encouraging sign as the talks head into the merger study phase. Residents ...

Support For Homeless Is Heartwarming

March 2, 2026

There are many things wrong with Jamestown, but a lack of compassionate residents isn’t one of them. Throughout the winter, community residents led by Diana Scott have been buying meals for the homeless spending the night at the ROME Code Blue shelter on Washington Street. Others have been donating clothing or hygienic items. Recently, a group named El Equipo held its own event at Joy Fellowship Church before making donations at shelters throughout the city. Conduit has continued its meals in Brooklyn Square on Sundays. The St. Susan Center remains as busy as ever. Community Helping ...

Most Severe Punishment Isn’t Enough In Child Death Cases

February 28, 2026

Two Jamestown men will go to prison after pleading guilty to killing infants in a fit of rage within two weeks of each other in April 2024. Matthew Nuttall, 27, will be sentenced this year after throwing a child into a Pack-and-Play portable crib because he was frustrated the baby wouldn’t stop crying. The child’s spinal cord was severed, which caused the child’s death. In December, Sean Thomas pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter just before his jury trial was scheduled to begin after admitting to causing the death of eight-month-old Aniyah Turk. Thomas intentionally ...

Innovation Now Needed Because Nuclear Power Demands Grow

February 27, 2026

As America’s energy demands grow exponentially, the country won’t be able to keep up without more nuclear power. For decades, the climate-friendly industry has been held back by overly burdensome regulations, but that’s beginning to change. In the 1960s, plants took about four years to build, and they cost, in today’s dollars, about $1,500 per kilowatt of electricity generated. Now the idea of building a reactor in less than a decade is unheard of, and the cost of construction is six times greater. The Energy Department took steps this month to exempt certain advanced ...

Water’s Fine For Chautauqua Lake Fishing

February 26, 2026

We all should be able to acknowledge that Chautauqua Lake needs work if it is to return to the type of hub for summer activities that many south county residents remember. But it was interesting to read about the opinions of DEC Fisheries officials after a recent presentation to the Chautauqua Lake Watershed and Management Alliance board meeting regarding the lake’s fish populations. We’d have loved to be able to report on the DEC officials’ presentation in person, but alliance meetings have been closed-door affairs for more than a year. But we digress. Jim Markham and Justin ...

Lawmakers Are Generous With Your Money

February 25, 2026

Deb Makowski, county human resources director, said several times during last week’s Audit and Control Committee meeting that increasing salary ranges for management employees doesn’t automatically give the affected employees salary increases. She’s technically right, of course. Salaries for 2026 were set in the 2026 Chautauqua County budget. But there would be no need to change the salary ranges in the first place if there weren’t raises coming soon for those employees. Makowski told county legislators there are 128 employees who are getting close to the maximum salary in ...