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In Our Opinion

Cell Phone Ban Shows Kids’ Ability To Adapt

The much-discussed, much-debated and parentally panned school cell phone ban is a near non-issue for most students through the first few weeks of the school year. Proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and approved by the state Legislature, the new school cellphone policy creates a statewide standard for distraction-free schools in New York including no unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day, including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall periods; allowed schools to develop ...

Democrats Should Consider Minority Leader’s School Holiday Bill

It made little sense last January for most Chautauqua County schools to be closed in observance of the Asian New Year. In fact, in our opinion, the best place for children to be in order to learn about the Asian New Year would be in schools given that most parents know relatively little about the Asian New Year. That’s understandable given that the majority of New Yorkers celebrate the New Year on Jan. 1 every year. As the state continues to debate and add new dates to the state’s list of public holidays, two things should be considered in our opinion. Some bills apply solely ...

Frewsburg Food Pantry Request May Be The First Of Many

Food pantries struggling to make ends meet isn’t necessarily new. But the Frewsburg Community Food Pantry’s recent request for help from the town of Carroll is something we haven’t seen in recent years. Wendy Nelson, food pantry coordinator, is asking the town to help as an emergency source of funding for the food pantry when it has to pay out of pocket for food deliveries that it then disburses to those who need food. For the first time in its history, the Frewsburg Food Pantry had to pay out-of-pocket for its August order after changes to grant access and distribution from ...

Baby Food Testing Proposal Is A Good Idea

There should be, in our opinion, general approval among state lawmakers that there should be more testing of the baby food parents find on store shelves. The federal Food and Drug Administration earlier this year set new, lower maximum levels for lead in baby foods like jarred fruits and vegetables, yogurts and dry cereal, part of an effort to cut young kids’ exposure to the toxic metal that causes developmental and neurological problems. The agency issued final guidance that it estimated could reduce lead exposure from processed baby foods by about 20% to 30%. The limits are ...

Move Cautiously Before Creating A New Lake Authority

We don’t know yet if the resolution passed recently by the Ellery Town Board supporting creation of a centralized lake authority is the first of many dominos to fall or a tree falling in the forest. Only time will answer that question. But we find it interesting that Ellery, which has taken the lead on so much regarding Chautauqua Lake, is at least starting the conversation about a new lake authority. It speaks to a desire for action rather than study - something we think many who use Chautauqua Lake recreationally - would agree is needed. There isn’t a lot of meat on the ...

Even Small Unfunded Mandates Add Up For Local Taxpayers

The city of Jamestown will be hiring part-time, on-call matrons to work in the city jail when the city is holding women until they can be arraigned in Jamestown City Court. The issue arose after an inspection of the city jail from the state Department of Corrections. The position isn’t a new one, but it hasn’t been filled for years because it was deemed unnecessary to the operation of the jail. Matrons won’t be uniformed police officers, but civilian employees who will work on an on-call basis. If the uniformed officer overseeing the jail during a shift is a woman then there ...