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In Our Opinion

Nominations The Right Move Towards Energy Independence

President-elect Donald Trump’s decisions to nominate Chris Wright for secretary of energy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to serve a dual role as secretary of the interior and chairman of a National Energy Council are reassuring. Wright is the CEO of a company with considerable experience in natural gas drilling. We believe Burgum, as governor of a largely pro-development state, is an ideal choice to spearhead a comprehensive effort to improve the production and affordability of domestic energy — an effort that includes renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydroelectric ...

State GOP Can’t Oppose Everything

When it comes to state politics Republicans are often a voice of reason. That isn’t the case when it comes to the state Board of Regents emergency order for school districts to submit regionalization plans to the state Education Department. Part of the problem is the state Board of Regents, as it is wont to do, did a horrible job explaining what it actually wants. The Regents didn’t speak about the emergency order during the meeting where it was passed, leaving a general public that is typically skittish about regionalism or potential consolidation to let its collective mind ...

Can We Support The Agencies Trying To Help The Poor?

Community Helping Hands has been on the front lines of Jamestown’s fight against poverty for more than two decades. It may not be able to continue serving from its Gateway Center location much longer. That would be a shame. Community Helping Hands provides clothes, household items and furniture to clients sent by churches, other non-profits and county officials. Donations received by the community were sent back into the community to lend a helping hand to those who could sorely use one. “The list of reasons why CHH should not exist is long – the huge, old warehouse building ...

County Should Let Public See Completed Jail, Airport Studies

Twice in recent weeks Chautauqua County legislators have seen studies regarding the Chautauqua County Jail and Chautauqua County Airport in Jamestown. They’re choosing to keep those studies close to the legislature’s collective vest. Given that public money was spent on the studies, the fact that the studies have been discussed in public meetings and the fact the studies detail future potential uses of public money, those studies should be made public now rather than when the legislature or its special committees decide to release them. We can see why legislators haven’t ...

City Makes Right Call On Housing Mini-Grant Program

Jamestown’s status as a federal entitlement community shows the depth of need in many pockets of our community. So it can be frustrating - for both city residents and those who administer the federal Community Development Block Grant and HOME programs - to see money sitting around gathering dust and a little bit of interest but not being used to improve housing stock in Jamestown. It’s good to see Crystal Surdyk try to use some of those small dollar amounts the city has had waiting to be used for other programs to extend an American Rescue Plan Act program that has proven to be ...

By This Time In 2025, We’ll Know If City’s Ambulance Bet Pays Off

Jamestown’s second ambulance is in service - and with it Jamestown’s latest financial bet has really gone live. Putting a second city-based ambulance into service, manned with city firefighters, has long been billed as a way for the city to help recoup some of the costs of its fire department. The ambulance will in theory allow the city to double the number of ambulance calls it can respond to each year when ALSTAR Ambulance is out of service, decreasing the times neighboring volunteer firefighters have to respond to EMS calls inside the city limits while at the same time ...