Breaking News

Summer update on the bridge

There has been some recent news relative to the Chautauqua Lake Bridge. There was one announcement by the DOT that related to planning for new detour routes once the eastbound section of the bridge is completed. This will require new routing for traffic on nights when the bridge is closed for construction activities. Another news item was more somber, as a worker fell from the bridge and was injured. The person injured, as I understand it, was an inspector...not a part of the actual construction crew. Nevertheless, it reminded us that there are risks on construction projects of ...

Readers’ Forum

Immigration stagnation makes federal action necessary To The Reader’s Forum: Unless your ancestry is American Indian you are an immigrant and/or descended from an immigrant to the US. That is the reality as our Nation continues to debate the immigration issue. On the maternal side my ancestors left Ireland for the US in the 1860's due to discrimination & famine. Paternally, my grandfather was greeted by Lady Liberty in 1917. He was fleeing a war-torn Europe in the midst of World War I. Almost from the beginning of our Nation, immigration & immigrants have not been ...

What I learned from Paul Bush

My experiences with Paul Bush began in the late 1970's when I was asked to advise on helping Paul put together a financial package to expand Bush Industries. The company was located at the time in Little Valley, N.Y., where Paul lived. Right from the start I was inspired with his keen mind and endless drive to build Bush Industries into a world class company. He said his goals were to grow the business to where it had great facilities, great customers and a large family of great employees. Eventually Paul moved to the Jamestown area and built an impressive facility in the area known ...

Judges should visit jails and meet with crime victims, too

The New York State arms adopted on March 16, 1778, shows Justice wearing a gold-colored dress with a blue belt fringed in red. Her unbound hair is decorated with pearls, and there is a narrow band of cloth over her eyes. In her right hand she holds a gold-handled sword, and in her left, the scales. The message is obvious. Justice is supposed to be blind, with the weight of the evidence tipping the scales. And Justice’s hand being placed on the sword references arriving at a just punishment. We have to wonder if it’s time for a new depiction of Lady Justice on the state’s arms, ...

Spin on federal CDPAP probe misremembers recent history

We find ourselves bemused by the wholly expected partisan reaction to news that the U.S. Department of Justice is suing New York for allowing widespread fraud in its Medicaid programs to continue. In a statement to the Associated Press, the state Health Department said the lawsuit was "baseless ... inexcusable and completely lacking in merit." It said the claims were "the latest attempt by Washington Republicans to score political points at the expense of vulnerable New Yorkers." That’s an interesting stance for the Health Department to take, because New York Republicans weren’t ...

Government purchase of lakefront property in Mayville raises questions

There doesn’t seem to be much commercial interest in land on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in Mayville where a controversial condominium project was once planned. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Mayville residents who fought the condo project tooth and nail over the course of years before the project fell apart. For now, the open views of Chautauqua Lake are preserved. Mayville Mayor Rick Syper has approached the Mayville Village Board about possibly purchasing the parcel. The 1.2 acre parcel is currently owned by Erie Bank and being advertised as suitable for commercial ...