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Opinion

State must invest in alcohol addiction programs

Local Commentaries

Dear Senator, Assembly Member, and Elected Officials Representing Jamestown and Chautauqua County: My name is Erin Himes, and I am a resident of Jamestown, New York. I am writing to ask for your leadership in addressing a heartbreaking issue that affects many families in our community: the continued sale of alcohol to individuals suffering from severe alcohol use disorder, even when they are clearly experiencing life-threatening medical complications. Alcoholism is not simply a matter of poor choices—it is a serious medical disease. Families across Chautauqua County watch loved ...

A challenging year in grape country

Local Commentaries

Alarm bells went off earlier this year, when Refresco Company announced that it was cancelling grape contracts in this area. It had been a large purchaser of Concord grapes here in Chautauqua County. I have not been privy to the decision of Refresco but am assuming that at least part of its decision was based upon the fact that grape processing was a small part of its overall international operations, and corporate big-wigs decided to focus company efforts more on its core businesses. Whatever the reason, it left some grape growers without an immediate market for their grapes. For ...

Rebutting ‘America’s Sketchiest City’ video

Local Commentaries

I would like to respond to the local video recently produced claiming Jamestown is best known for its massive drug problem, high crime rate, and decaying infrastructure. The title states “Jamestown, America’s Sketchiest City”. If that didn’t give a clue as to the direction, or more importantly, the objective of the video, I don’t know what would. There are 19,460 cities in America (did my homework- more on that to follow). The number of cities depends on definition but you get my drift. It is quite apparent the lead was for the purpose of earning “clicks” on YouTube, ...

Dunkirk Battery Energy Storage project is another scam

Local Commentaries

The average cost of residential electricity in New York is 29 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt hour. The average in Chautauqua County is 22 cents to 24 cents per kilowatt hour. In Pennsylvania residential electricity costs 13 cents per kilowatt hour. Why do New York residents pay so much more? A recent article in the Post Journal provided clues. It was titled “Blistering temps take toll on state grid” It cited the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) dashboard indicator regarding how electricity is made in NY. It said total NY electricity produced by ...

A history lesson in how we measure success

In Our Opinion

As early as 1990 - six years before it opened - the idea of a Lucille Ball Museum was being talked about in hyperbolic terms. "In conjunction with the Civic Center and the New Comedy Festival, this could be one of the most exciting and important developments to come down the road for ...

Other Voices: Democracy doesn't require truth police

In Our Opinion

It became fashionable a few years ago for people to blame “misinformation” for others holding views they find wrongheaded. Social media platforms, sometimes jawboned by the federal government, invoked this supposed crisis to justify censorship, especially during the pandemic. This insulted the intelligence of the American people, who can make up their own minds without being told what to think. A new study explores how exposure to “misinformation” on social media affected voters in 2020. The answer, drawn from a three-month experiment on nearly 16,000 users, is very ...