We are entering a new year with new possibilities and enormous challenges. 2020 brought not only a worldwide pandemic, but also unprecedented financial hardships for the City of Jamestown and while there is temptation to say “Good Riddance” to 2020, 2021 may bear out to be just as ...

Why do we choose Jan. 1 as a “Happy New Year” day? Jan. 1 is in winter, for Pete’s sake! This past Thursday, we had gloomy gray skies for New Year’s Eve. On Friday, we had freezing rain. Some “happy new year.” Gloomy skies and freezing rain are nothing to be joyous about. We ...

We met Kayla and Kent at the first of three installments. A couple nearing retirement ages face a dual blow of respective job layoffs. The Coronavirus had forced them to survive financially on Social Security, plus some savings. Residents of Pennsylvania, they had not yet received ...

Just for purposes of understanding or considering today’s column, let’s set aside what isn’t relevant to understanding or considering it. Please set aside your political-party enrollment, how you usually vote, and your preference regarding the 2020 presidential election. In addition, ...

According to the Dec. 29, 2020, issue of The Post-Journal, the BPU will be eliminating glass from its curbside recycling program. The article also states the company has received zero complaints from the public regarding this. I am writing to express my formal complaint. With the ...

It is an understatement to say that 2020 was a very bad year. Even if and when the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control, the effect it has had on our social fabric will be long-lasting. Far from bringing us all together, we have divided into two camps: those who respect the ...

I was raised on a dairy farm and so living with animals was a part of my growing up. Back in those days, we had a relatively small number of milking cows—30 to 40—and so each one had its own name. My favorite cow of all time was Doris. She was a large, mostly white Holstein who was ...

The course of history can change through what initially seems like ordinary events. Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke tells the story of the birth of a child two millennia ago. The birth of any child is wondrous. Yet this was an extraordinarily special birth of an extraordinarily special ...

In healthcare: The debate is dead. Long live the debate! U.S. politics has been roiled for over a decade by disputes over the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”). However, three recent developments really mean that the big debate is effectively over. The disputants are haggling ...

Nearly three years ago, in this column, I discussed the upcoming 2018 New Year and the speculation that if the Mueller investigation were conclusive, Donald Trump’s Presidency could end like that of Richard Nixon’s. However, I also commented that unlike Nixon: “I can’t envision our ...

Ripley and South Ripley need the South Ripley Solar Project — desperately. As a community leader, not capitalizing on this economic opportunity would be a devastating blow to the town of Ripley and the surrounding community. As a business owner, rejecting a chance for economic growth will ...

Really, Time Magazine? 2020 is the “Worst Year Ever?” I will take this year over any year before penicillin, indoor plumbing, electricity and regular trash collection. We do not know what history will say of 2020. Here in the United States it will be a story of a virus and its ...

The U.S. Supreme Court has considered its second 2020 presidential-election challenge since Election Day. Texas filed the second challenge, asserting claims against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Although the high court declined to accept the challenge, because Texas lacks ...

I want to share with the residents of Jamestown and surrounding communities the thinking behind the decision to remove the “cathedral” oak trees of West Third Street. First, my history with the oak trees on West Third STreet, personal and professional views and experiences. I grew up ...

I don’t know about you, but this COVID viral infection pandemic has me feeling like I am living in slow- motion. I also know that younger people probably expect slow-motion from me because of my advanced age. I am, by definition, moving pretty slow. I walk slowly with a limp, I get out ...

After dying and going to Heaven a Trump supporter stands before God who says, “You’ve lived a good life, welcome to eternity. Do you have any questions?” “Yes”, he replies, “who really won the 2020 election?” “Biden”, replies God. “Wow”, says the Trumper, “this ...

Unfortunately, the Chautauqua County IDA has decided to further subsidize an already NYS incentivized and subsidized solar project in the town of Hanover with a 30-year property tax abatement program. A much larger project is being planned for the town of Ripley and more are being ...

Whatever your politics, this is clear: The Trump presidency is coming to an end. When the word came that the Michigan results had been certified, I talked with my brother Craig Neckers, a lawyer in Grand Rapids, Mich. “There’s a tension lifted from the people here,” he said. Finally, ...

I bought it when I was 13. I still have it. I clean it up every year. Last Sunday, I took it for a walk. I asked myself a question. “Self,” I mused, “How many people have something that they got as a child and they still use it regularly today?” Most geezers have only ...

The U.S. Supreme Court has considered its first 2020 presidential-election challenge since Election Day. Although the high court has declined to give the challengers the preliminary relief they sought, the challengers could return and ask the court to consider their challenge fully on the ...