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Local Commentaries

Don’t Let JHS Marching Band Ride Into The Sunset

Culture can be defined as all the ways of life including arts, beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation to generation. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." As such, it includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, ...

Missing History: The S.S. Jamestown

It was a five-foot long painting of the S. S. Jamestown—-a really special steamboat that was the largest craft to ever grace Chautauqua Lake. She was built at the boat landing on the lake by Isaac Hammett of Pittsburgh and then launched to great fanfare on May 24, 1875. One-hundred and sixty ...

Always Keeping Warm

The mild winter changed course this week. As I write this, today is arctic cold outside. My jammies are warm, I’m staying home, and I’m keeping them on. The edges of the rooms feel chilly, Being cold inside the house takes me back to childhood. My trip down memory lane is an icy trek. I ...

World Traveler???

Don used to tease me about being a world traveler. We would watch something on television and he would say, “I suppose you have been there.” Often the answer was yes. He told me he thought that I was traveling to find someone to be with. That could not have further from the truth. I ...

Remembering Days in the State Legislature

It was 50 years ago when I was first elected to the New York State Assembly. A lot has changed since then, but one thing has remained the same…the majority party in the Assembly controls the budgeting process and the flow of legislation. When I was elected Assemblyman in 1974, the ...

Every Winning Team Needs Good Players

Decades ago, the Heritage Foundation began publishing what it called a “Mandate for Leadership.” The Mandate for Leadership series has evolved as a public-policy guide for the coming presidential term. The Mandate for Leadership for 2025 is nothing if not serious about public ...