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In Our Opinion

Family Receives Closure That Eludes Too Many

The family of Kala Hodgkin will receive some semblance of justice with Michael Burham’s guilty plea to a charge of first-degree murder. Hodgkin accused Burham of forcibly raping her two months before her death and was shot dead in her home by him after he was charged but before he was arrested. Burham will be sentenced March 2 and is expected to receive a prison sentence of 25 years to life. Burham is currently serving time behind bars in the kidnapping of an elderly Pennsylvania couple. The plea brings to a close one of the more shocking Jamestown crimes in recent history. Burham ...

It’s Time For-Profits Lead Downtown’s Renaissance Trend

There should be some excitement after the recent New Year’s Day announcement that TheZone, a long-awaited and discussed addition to the Northwest Arena, will open later this year. Arena officials kicked off the $4 million fundraising campaign in August 2021 for an interactive indoor sports and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) children’s play experience that will provide children hands-on exhibits that blend sports with STEAM learning. It is expected to include interactive physics-based sports challenges and high-tech engineering stations and artistic ...

Time Is Now For Community To Engage With Study

We’re sure William Schneider, Panama mayor, has many of the same concerns as the Panama residents he represents when it comes to the proposed fate of the Panama school building as a study of a possible merger of the Panama, Clymer and Sherman school districts begins. But we appreciate Schneider’s comments on the issue during the most recent Panama Village Board meeting. Panama and Clymer have been down this road before, and Schneider’s comments encouraging public participation in the merger study process are words we hope residents of all three communities take to heart. ...

As It Moves Into New Phase, JRC Needs To Find Right Leadership

We’ve long thought it was important to have someone whose sole focus is downtown Jamestown. So we’re encouraged by the seeming reinvigoration of the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation announced earlier this week by the non-profit’s board after six months of inactivity that began last June. This version of the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation is stripped down, notably with no mention of housing and neighborhoods that was part of the JRC’s mission for roughly 15 years before the 2025 shutdown. Also not mentioned is events, which had been part of the group’s mission since ...

Apparent Lack Of Planning Could Be A Problem

How do you do regime change without changing the regime? That is the conundrum facing President Trump following his announcement that the United States would run the government of Venezuela “until such time as a proper transition can take place” — date TBD. Coming from a president who has mocked American military occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Trump’s declaration was almost as surprising as the lightening-strike operation itself, which led to the arrest of Venezuela’s autocratic president, Nicholas Maduro, on drug trafficking charges. Set aside for a moment very ...

Focus Should Be On Affordability During Session

We appreciate Gov. Kathy Hochul’s stated focus on affordability. We know, as do most New Yorkers, that it isn’t as easy to make ends meet these days as it was 20 years ago. Hochul has focused her affordability agenda on things like wage increases, tax cuts or tax credit expansions, including her most recent push to eliminate state income taxes on up to $25,000 of tipped income in tax year 2026, which follows federal guidance. A recent World Population Review study showed New York’s cost of living index is 148.2, the second highest in the country, with housing costs that are the ...