Breaking News

In Our Opinion

Two Ways To Look At Microgrid Funding Termination

There are two ways to look at last week’s news that the Trump Administration is terminating $27 million in funding for the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities’ Microgrid project. One is to wonder why funding for a natural gas powered project ran afoul of a president who favors natural gas over wind and solar projects. The BPU Microgrid system involves utilizing existing power generation equipment to power a strong network of underground electrical distribution circuitry to ensure electricity runs to the core of downtown Jamestown independent of regional power providers. The ...

Biggest Issue Facing Cannabis May Be Market Saturation

The issues many Celoron residents raise concerning allowing cannabis to be sold in the village’s limits are the same ones we heard during the great opt-out debate of 2021. There were concerns over a negative influence on village youth if cannabis businesses were to open in Celoron - particularly if a shop were to open too close to the Celoron Village Park. There were concerns over increased marijuana use in the village if the village lifts its prohibition on dispensaries and on-site consumption businesses and a potential increase in crime. We haven’t seen many of those concerns ...

Mural Projects Are Putting Cart Before The Horse

Jamestown officials are applying for a portion of the county’s 3% occupancy tax for a project to install a mural on the east side of the Washington Street Bridge on Harrison Street. A week ago we noted there was opposition to a county-backed program to install four murals in Falconer, Dunkirk, Sherman and Westfield through the Paint CHQ program. Legislator Fred Larson of Jamestown disagreed with the mural program moving forward with outside funding after county legislators tabled the program, a sign legislators didn’t want to spend any county money on the project. We agree with ...

Lighting Under The Viaduct Should Be Top On The List

Like a bad penny, the idea of a public parklet underneath the North Main Street railroad viaduct keeps finding its way onto City Council agendas. City officials are asking for the council’s approval to apply for a grant to go along with money the city has already received. The city is looking for $100,000 to go along with $143,000 in BPU/CCPEG/HUD funding and $67,175 in ARPA funding. The first phase, which is lighting on the site, is the first priority for the project. Improving lighting in the area makes a lot of sense for public safety. Of course, the best thing for public safety ...

A Third Strike For Gus Macker In Jamestown

The news that Collaborative Children’s Solutions needs to take a two-year pause from hosting the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament is disappointing for some, but shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. We’ve been doing this particular dance with Gus Macker since The Resource Center decided years ago to start its own tournament rather than host the Gus Macker tournament because the costs were simply too high. The Post-Journal, Warren Times Observer and Dunkirk OBSERVER had the same experience. Now, Pat Smeraldo is having the same experience. The Macker is a fun event for ...

Taking Another Excuse To Avoid Shared Services

There’s a lot to County Executive PJ Wendel’s 2026 budget that should sound familiar to county residents. The county needs more money. It needs to increase the amount it’s taking from taxpayers even as the tax rate goes down by a nickel. We’ll spare you financial gloom and doom speech about what happens when property values stop going up every year and those low tax rates no longer support the county government’s appetite for new revenue. We’ve sounded that alarm enough over the years. Just remember that eventually the bubble will burst. There’s a lot to unpack in ...