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In Our Opinion

Looking To Past Is Wrong Way To Approach Dunkirk Aid

County lawmakers will vote today on a resolution requested by County Executive PJ Wendel asking the state Attorney General’s office to investigate Dunkirk’s budget process, audit and applicable financial documents for the city from 2014 through 2024. “At the end of the day, we just need to make sure that if there’s any engagement from the county, we need to know exactly what has happened and how did they get into this position,” Wendel said recently. We’re not sure we agree. Yes, the county needs to make sure county taxpayer money isn’t wasted. And the county ...

Borrello Speaking The Frustrations Of Thousands Locally

State Sen. George Borrello was not Monday morning quarterbacking in criticizing the New York State Thruway last week over its poor decision to place turbines at its exits more than a decade ago. He was only speaking of the frustrations he’s heard from thousands of residents he serves. Last Wednesday, Thruway Authority officials took down the turbine at Exit 59 that had been out of operation for nearly five years. The removal ended an embarrassing tenure for the agency. “The Thruway Authority raised tolls because they claimed they are facing a multi-year, multimillion dollar ...

Are Fully Staffed, Fully Funded City Fire Stations Financially Viable?

There are two trains of thought with news that Jamestown will have enough firefighters on duty in 2025 to end the two-decade practice of rotating fire station closures when manpower is limited - and in our view those trains run on parallel tracks. The first train of thought is that it’s good for public safety if all the fire stations are open all the time. Fire and EMS coverage to the entire city is better with five stations than three or four. Response times will be better during emergencies when seconds count. Jamestown is still a place with older home construction and an aging ...

Let Us Not Forget We Are Americans

In the moments following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump Saturday, there was horror and confusion. Trump emerged defiant from the pile of Secret Service members who rushed to protect him, but as the nation breathed a sigh of relief we learned the attack had, indeed, been deadly. Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief who was attending the Butler, Pa., rally with his family, had dived in front of his wife and daughter to protect them from the bullets. He died for them. Meanwhile, Trump was able to let the nation know he was injured but “fine” after the ...

Jail Escape Foiled Quickly, But How Was Roof Accessible?

Chautauqua County Sheriff’s deputies did a good job of quickly corralling a man who tried to escape from the Chautauqua County Jail on July 11. A perimeter was quickly set up after Eric Ryals made it to the jai’s roof. Unlike other jail escapes, deputies were actively chasing Ryals as he made his way to the jail’s roof, and officers got to Ryals quickly after he landed on the jail lawn to put an end to the escapade. In all, the incident could have been much worse. Deputies handled the attempted escape well and there wasn’t much danger to the public. Deputies have obviously ...

City Should Do What It Can To Police Illegal Fireworks

Both Mayor Kim Ecklund and Councilman Jeff Russell are right with suggestions last week to cut down on the number of illegal fireworks going off during Independence Day celebrations in Jamestown. Russell said he heard from police officers that they suspect some temporary fireworks sellers that popped up in the city limits sold fireworks that are illegal to have in New York. He suggested spot checks of these sellers in future years to make sure they aren’t violating the permits they received to sell fireworks. It’s a good suggestion that, frankly, should extend throughout the ...