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In Our Opinion

If Legislature Examines CPS, Focus On Community, Not Just Workers

A review of the way Chautauqua County’s Child Protective Services unit works should be undertaken. But we’re not sure the review that should be undertaken is the one that is being proposed by legislator Susan Parker, D-Fredonia. During the June Human Services Committee meeting, Parker referenced specifically complaints made by CPS employees. Often times, the workers say they don’t feel safe when going into some of the homes of children they’re trying to help. They have asked for more hours each week and they have said case backlogs are too high. Those are important issues, ...

Always A Special Trip For Veterans

For the past few years, The Post-Journal and Dunkirk OBSERVER have highlighted Honor Flights - an opportunity to give veterans an opportunity to visit the nation’s war memorials in Washington, D.C. In fact, we ran the latest story in our July 3-4 holiday edition featuring six area veterans who took the trip to our nation’s capital. For all the times we’ve told this story, though, the thing that never seems to change is the reaction of the veterans we speak with after they return. Often, the veterans speak of seeing monuments they haven’t seen before, of being able to pay ...

Let’s All Be Neck-Deep In USA Pride

Today, people of the United States, as they celebrate the 248th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, ought to be neck-deep in patriotic pride for having the opportunity to live in this nation of freedom and abundance, despite its imperfections. Of course, as everyone who pays attention to the news knows, the patriotic pride this holiday deserves won’t be close to the unanimity that this day deserves to exhibit. The divisions on many political and non-political fronts - national, state and local - will not be eroded by the meaning, history and significance of today’s ...

We Fear State Is Going To Far With Graduation Standards Rewrite

We’ve had doubts about the state Board of Regents’ rewrite of New York’s high school graduation standards for years. But the more we hear, the less impressed we are - and the more doubts we have that the standards will result in the graduation of high school seniors who are ready for either college or a career. Let’s start with the state’s plan to adopt the New York State Portrait of a Graduate, an outline of the skills students must demonstrate to graduate. Skills include showing an ability to be a critical thinker, be an innovative problem solver, be literate across all ...

There’s A Lot We Don’t Know About Algal Blooms

Anyone who pays attention to the research focused on Chautauqua Lake knows there’s a lot we don’t know about harmful algal blooms. Research right now is focused largely on explaining why algal blooms occur, the conditions that create them and ways to deal with them when they happen. That’s important research, especially for areas that rely on their lakes as vital parts of their economy - like southern Chautauqua County. We know harmful algal blooms can affect people’s health. The state Health Department has said exposure to high levels of blue-green algae and their toxins can ...

Three-Year Bachelor’s Degrees An Idea Worth Pursuing

Higher education has taken quite a beating lately. Lawmakers have been going after administrators and faculty at high-profile institutions over Gaza protests and diversity initiatives. Students and parents are getting increasingly impatient with rising costs. Faculty are disgruntled in many places over tight budgets and a lack of job and tenure opportunities. Administrators fret about demographics that could lead to fewer and fewer students being in the shiny, state-of-the-art student centers and dormitories that have been built in recent years. Is there anybody out there happy with ...