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In Our Opinion

As Summer Begins, Chautauqua Lake Takes Center Stage

This week marks the unofficial start of the summer tourist season - and with it comes several opportunities to hear several points of view regarding the health of Chautauqua Lake, a central cornerstone to the county’s tourism efforts. Jim Wehrfritz, a longtime lake advocate who has expressed concerns about how new state wetlands regulations could affect the lake, will host his second public meeting on the topic with identical presentations from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Lawson Center in Bemus Point and again from noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Bemus Point Golf Club and Tap ...

Proposed Ban On Open Carry Of Long Guns Makes Little Sense

We’ve disagreed with the way New York state handled changes to conceal carry permits for pistols. But one thing that we can’t disagree with is the logic behind wanting to know who is concealed carrying a handgun. After all, the point of pistol permits is to have some record of those who can legally carry a concealed weapon. We’re not sure the logic extends to a proposed ban on the open carry of long guns. State Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-Astoria rote in his legislative justification that restrictions on the open carry of long guns will help decrease violent crime. It’s ...

State’s Attempt To Be Fair To Female Athletes May Backfire

By this fall, it will be much easier for girls who want to play boys varsity sports to do so. That’s not a bad thing. Girls who can athletically compete should be able to do so without demeaning, invasive tests or having to do more to prove they are athletically capable than a boy of the same age. On that front, we can’t disagree with the state Education Department’s decision to end the Tanner test, a process during which female athletes had to go through embarrassing examinations before they could play sports with boys. And, in a world in which parents tell their daughters ...

Medgar Evers Deserves Presidential Medal Of Freedom Honor

President Joe Biden recently presented 19 people with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. One of the 19 recipients of the Medal of Freedom stood out to us as particularly noteworthy. Medgar Evers truly served his country — first in the U.S. Army, serving in combat during World War II, then as a civil rights activist, leading demonstrations and organizing voter-registration drives, among other acts of service. In the 1950s, Evers applied to law school at the University of Mississippi to challenge its discriminatory practices, Brigit Katz, writing for Smithsonian magazine, ...

Sharing School Programs Should Be Start Of Something More

We’re encouraged by a bit of news from a recent Clymer Central School board meeting. Clymer board members are set to share an occupational therapist with Cassadaga Valley Central School. Such shared services are becoming more and more commonplace, and it’s good to see such partnerships growing. But what’s really encouraging is the possibility of Clymer starting a new shared program with Chautauqua Lake Central School. Chautauqua Lake students would be able to participate in Clymer’s agriculture programs while Clymer students would be able to take part in programs in Chautauqua ...

Consistency Is Key In How City Handles Downtown Parking

Joe Town’s request for a loading and unloading zone in front of his Third Street business is certainly understandable. It’s annoying to worry about feeding parking meters if you’re unloading restaurant supplies. It’s annoying to get a ticket because you get a phone call or find yourself in the middle of something that took longer than expected and end up forgetting to put more money in the meter or move your car. We can understand Town’s frustration because other downtown restaurants have, over the years, had exceptions made in areas where there is more competition for ...