Breaking News

Local Commentaries

Skrmetti Matters Beyond ‘Treatment’

Let’s pick up where we left off last week. Sex and gender differ. Organisms that reproduce sexually—as opposed to asexually—have two sexes: Male and female. Males are he; females are she. Gender, by contrast, is a construct of language. Masculine nouns are he, feminine nouns are she, and neuter nouns are it. ♦♦♦ With that understanding, the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Skrmetti involves sex, not gender. During the Biden administration, the United States and other plaintiffs appealed their loss in the Cincinnati-based federal-appellate ...

Ways To Avoid Late Enrollment Penalties

Question: I signed up for Medicare, and evaluated my options and signed up for additional insurance, but now I received paperwork telling me I have a Late Enrollment Penalty and have to pay more money for my premiums? What should I do? Do I have to pay this? Answer: The steps for getting onto Medicare are different for everyone, and the timeline to join can be different too. Every individual has a different set of variables they bring to the table when discussing Medicare and when to join. Most individuals become eligible for Medicare when they turn 65. If you are working and carry ...

What Are Your Goliaths

First, of all, I hope that you are familiar with the account of David and Goliath from the Bible. Our guest preacher used it as his scriptural reference Sunday. In case it is unfamiliar I will give some of my history with it as well as something from the Bible. I missed the book of the Bible that he said the story was in, but I knew the story. I was able to look it up on the Internet. The account is in I Samuel 17 in case you want to read it. Goliath was a giant who wanted to throw his weight around and pester the Israelites. For forty days he appeared to taunt them. He was a ...

Reverse Federal Cuts To Food Programs

On March 10, many news outlets announced that the USDA, under guidance from the Trump Administration with advisement from D.O.G.E, has cancelled over $1 billion dollars distributed across the nation for local food programs, specifically the Local Food for Schools Program, and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. Both programs have been directly investing in Chautauqua County; not only feeding children, many of whom live in our county in poverty, but also compensating our local, small, and family-owned farms. In 2024, via the Local Food Purchase Assistance ...

In Defense of Chuck Schumer

Our U.S. Senator, Chuck Schumer, has come under some fairly heavy criticism in the past couple of weeks over his decision to not let the government default. The criticisms were framed primarily by those in his own party who believed that the decision would further enable the President in his efforts at dismantling the federal government. This impression was magnified when the President, himself, thanked Schumer for lending support to the Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government running through September. I am not entirely a disinterested observer in all of this, since many ...

The Attack On DEI And Marginalized Communities

“I’m really looking forward to the next four years.” That was the response I received from a local business owner after expressing my concerns about the current administration and its attack on DEI and how it will affect marginalized communities. She then casually said, “Let’s do lunch soon!” I walked away from the conversation, realizing that she didn’t know she is a part of a marginalized group and seemed unaware or indifferent to the harm being done. A marginalized group comprises individuals who have been disadvantaged or excluded from certain social, economic, ...