Electric School Bus Delay Is Tip Of The Iceberg

May 19, 2026

A five-year delay in the state’s electric school bus mandate would be a reasonable compromise if it is included in the state budget as some Albany insiders say it will be. The electric bus mandate was always far too optimistic that technology would be ready quickly. Early adopters of electric buses have found the technology isn’t ready for New York’s winters. And, in a state where Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed relatively flat state aid for many smaller districts, the cost of bonding for electric school buses was going to be more than most districts’ taxpayers were going to be ...

DOT’s Busti Project Is Action That Doesn’t Accomplish Much

May 18, 2026

When was the last time you drove through the five corners of Busti and thought what would really make the intersection easier to navigate are new pedestrian signals, sidewalks and curb ramps? When was the last time you drove through the five corners to find a pedestrian? These are the great problems the state Transportation Department is going to spend your money trying to fix by acquiring private property near the intersection and then performing what has to be a limited reconstruction. What a waste of money. We’d prefer the state do something to redesign the entire intersection ...

When Did Closing Inferior Housing Become ‘NIMBY’?

May 16, 2026

Here we are, once again, feeling the need to write about the homeless in Chautauqua County. We’re moved to do so by a comment that may never have seen the light of day were it not for a lawsuit seeking to keep the former Econolodge on Route 60 in Fredonia that houses many homeless county residents open as the Fredonia Village Board seeks to vacate the hotel and possibly demolish it. We’re frankly not concerned with the legal back-and-forth between the hotel’s attorney and Fredonia officials. We are concerned by the conditions described by Fredonia’s code officers, as we ...

Pine Valley’s Hefty Reserves Disregard Taxpayers

May 14, 2026

We have complained for years about more than $30 million in reserves for Chautauqua County. Pine Valley Central Schools is even more guilty. In recent years, Pine Valley built its unassigned fund balance to roughly 30% of the succeeding year’s budget — dramatically higher than surrounding districts. Prior to this proposed budget, the district had just shy of $6 million in unassigned fund balance. It also has significant amounts in several reserve funds for various purposes. That’s too much — and goes against the 4% recommendation by New York state. This year, the ...

State Health Marketplace Should Include Senior Dental Plans

May 13, 2026

Too many senior citizens in New York state don’t have access to affordable dental care. That fact makes it hard to disagree with legislation (A.11235/S.7594) introduced by Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright and Sen. Cordell Cleare that would require the NY State of Health Marketplace to require companies offering health insurance plans on the marketplace to also offer at least one dental plan for senior citizens. There are too many senior citizens paying out of pocket for dental care in New York state - and that means there are many who aren’t getting dental care at all because they ...

State Legislature Shouldn’t Enable Searches That Are Warrantless

May 12, 2026

The legal fight over the Office of Cannabis Management’s seizure of illegal cannabis products from state-licensed hemp stores is fascinating. So is the state’s response to a state Supreme Court ruling saying the seizures violate the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Super Smoke N Save LLC et al v. New York State Cannabis Control Board et al and centers on the search of five New York City area businesses and the seizure of materials from those businesses by the Office of Cannabis Management. In January 2025, state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Marcelle ruled that Office of ...