Breaking News

In Our Opinion

CPS Levels Are Improving. What About CPS Quality?

It’s good to hear that staffing levels are improving in the county Child Protective Services Department and that caseworkers are handling normal caseloads. But, as we’ve said in this space before, making employees’ lives easier is only half of the battle when it comes to CPS oversight. And it still seems as if county lawmakers only care about workers’ complaints. Legislator Susan Parker, D-Fredonia, is pushing county officials for a written plan of what happens when law enforcement is not available. Laurie Dolce, director of certification for the Department of Social ...

Without Limits, Allowing Chickens In The City Is For The Birds

Timothy Smart is looking for city approval to have chickens on his Harding Avenue property. Most neighbors don’t seem to have a problem with Harding’s chickens - except, that is, for the neighbor who made a complaint with the city Development Department. Smart’s request prompted an application to the city Zoning Board of Appeals, whose members - rightly, in our opinion - referred Smart to the City Council to advocate for a change in city ordinances that clearly state chickens and other livestock aren’t allowed in the city. So what should the council do with Smart’s ...

Some Voices May Be Irritating – But We Need To Listen To Them

What do discussions over wetlands regulations and Jamestown’s homeless have in common? The alarm bells over both situations were raised largely by people operating outside the typical government apparatus set up to deal with those issues. Remember, back in February, that it was Jim Wehrfritz who called attention to wetland regulations he worried could end up hurting property values and make it more difficult to use what he feels are proven strategies to help manage invasive weeds in the lake. Wehrfritz’ role was worth remembering this week when County Executive PJ Wendel went ...

Examination Of FBI Failures Deserves Action

People should be gravely concerned about reports that the FBI is falling short in referring allegations of child sexual abuse to local and state law enforcement. More than concerned — people should be furious. In a review prompted by the FBI’s mishandling of allegations against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nasser, the bureau’s inspector general found that there is no evidence that the FBI followed mandatory reporting requirements in about 50% of cases. According to an Associated Press report in Friday’s edition of the Sun-Gazette, the FBI appears to have referred ...

The Wheels Of Justice Turn Too Slowly In New York

What happened last week on Victoria Avenue is just one example of what is frustrating many New Yorkers with their state government. For all of the statistics that state Democrats want to cite that bail reform hasn’t led to a rash of reoffenders walking the streets, there are situations like last week’s in Jamestown that should upset people regardless of their political leanings. Reoffenders happen - not always because of bail reform but because it takes far too long to get a case from a charge to a courtroom. To recap, regional police officers spent hours at the scene of a ...

On This Day, Spend Time In Reflection

On this day 23 years ago, many Americans had hardly gotten settled into their workday when the day was shattered by the news that jetliners had struck both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, another jetliner had crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth plane still was in the air over Pennsylvania and was headed in the direction of Washington, D.C. Of course, that last plane ended up crashing in a field alongside a wooded area just outside of Shanksville, Somerset County, miraculously sparing that community and neighboring Indian Lake Borough of what could have been a ...