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In Our Opinion

Quietly, City Officials Take Steps To Help Solve Pressing Housing Issue

Many city residents will never need to know what constitutes a Pilot Residential District. The type of infill housing development a Pilot Residential District would allow isn’t going to be found in most neighborhoods. That’s one reason why there wasn’t much controversy over the City Council’s approval of the districts. In our view the lack of controversy is a positive, because Pilot Residential Districts, used correctly, could solve two pressing problems in the city - affordable housing and what to do with lots in the city that used to contain houses that are empty after the ...

Lakewood Short-Term Rental Law Will Always Be A Balancing Act

The process the village of Lakewood uses to regulate short-term rentals has, thus far, worked as intended. During Monday’s meeting, the Village Board approved three short-term rentals - two unanimously and one with some debate because it is in a R-1 district. The village’s short-term rental law prohibits short-term rentals in R-1 districts unless the Village Board approves a variance. Board members did so on Monday, but the decision wasn’t unanimous, with board members Nancy Jones and Ellen Barnes voting against allowing the 133 W. Summit St. short-term rental while Mayor ...

State Bill Would Decrease False Reports. Does It Protect Children?

Gov. Kathy Hochul will have a difficult decision to make before the end of the year when it comes to ending anonymous child abuse reporting. The aim of A.66/S.550 is simple - spend less time investigating child abuse complaints that end up having no merit and save parents whose children aren’t in danger the embarrassment and social stigma that comes CPS investigations that didn’t need to happen in the first place. The greatest share of meritless complaints, state officials and supporters of A.66/S.550 say, come from anonymous complaints to the state’s Child Abuse Registry. ...

Exit 9 Reopening Was Harder Than Necessary

Never let it be said that one person can’t make a difference. Tammy Shack of Bemus Point is living proof of that. The owner of the Bridgeview One Stop spent months trying to convince state officials that the closure of Exit 9 into Bemus Point was hurting her business as well as to have a temporary exit constructed. The exit has long helped Shack’s business, as travelers getting off in Bemus Point would stop for gas and spend money in her store, which also sells pizza, subs and other items. Closing the exit as part of the I-86 bridge reconstruction hurt her business. Unlike other ...

Don’t Further Introduce Politics Into Power Grid Reliability

Injecting politics into the redistricting process - a process already governed by politics - is unfortunate but ultimately harms no one but politicians. It’s irksome when Texas Republicans and New York and California Democrats play shenanigans with congressional district lines because of party politics, but ultimately it’s not an earth-shattering issue for most people. Injecting politics into the operation of the state electric grid, on the other hand, is different. We’re seeing that with the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the 2019 bill that set New ...

Thank You, Rick Stone, For Restoring John Mann’s Name

Staff Sgt. John Mann has been a man lost to history for the past 83 years. During World War II, Mann was assigned to 22nd Material Squadron at Hickam Airfield on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. On. Dec. 7, 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft expanded to Hickam Field, targeting U.S. aircrafts and ships, barracks, supply buildings, and the base chapel. The attack lasted four hours. Mann was reportedly killed during this time. But, unlike others who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, Mann doesn’t have a grave site near his hometown where ...