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Opinion

‘Vacation Home’ Tax Is Not Such A Good Idea

In Our Opinion

Democrats are proposing to extend a bad idea in New York City into a bad idea statewide. Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, R-Westfield, and Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, have concerns about extending the proposed pied-à-terre from New York City to the rest of the state. We, too, have concerns. A quick examination of real estate sales transactions over the past couple of years shows only one sale that would qualify for the pied-à-terre as proposed by state Sen. Patricia Fahy. We do think that such a tax will have an impact on Chautauqua County at some point, though the effect likely ...

Pay Attention To Zoning For Clymer’s Commercial Farms

In Our Opinion

Clymer officials may be walking a tightrope as they consider a zoning update to deal with, among other things, commercial chicken barns. A Clymer resident spoke to Clymer Town Board members recently about commercial chicken barns that have begun popping up in Clymer and Sherman, including one on Upper Road in Clymer. Commercial chicken barns can be bigger than the chicken barns found on family farms, and the Clymer resident who spoke to the board was concerned about having a large barn built too close to his property line if a neighbor chooses to enter into a contract with a ...

Sex Offender Risk Classifications Should Be Revisited

In Our Opinion

Republicans in the state Assembly want to place all convicted sex offenders - even those classified as low risk of reoffending - on the state’s publicly searchable sex offender registry. Currently, only sex offenders classified as Levels 2 (moderate risk) or Level 3 (high risk) are listed on the publicly searchable areas of the database. The legislation, sponsored by Assemblyman Joe Angelino, R-Binghamton, has been publicly requested at least twice publicly by Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley in the wake of a case in Onondaga County after a man classified as a Level 1, low risk ...

Sneezing Makes Him Look Like A Party Favor

Local Commentaries

There was a line delivered in the movie, Major League, where radio play by play character, Harry Doyle (portrayed brilliantly by the late real life legend of Baseball, Bob Eucker), while describing Triple Crown Winner, Clu Heywood (ironically played by real life MLB pitcher Pete Vuckovich), and his iconic mustache, with the quote, “When this guy sneezes, he looks like a party favor.” Due to the VFTB having usually been ahead with articles, and with the amazing schedule of special dates and this year’s extra activities (retirement is a great thing), I had scheduled all my ...

Awakening At Night Was Once Normal

Local Commentaries

Awakening between midnight and 3:00 in the morning used to be an accepted part of life. It was a well-known aspect of being human. People prayed in their beds, or got up and quietly toiled in the kitchen, tended to the fire, wrote letters—-some even went to visit neighbors. Older generations called it “first sleep.” The historical evidence for this is surprisingly rich. The idea of “first sleep” isn’t a fringe theory—it begins to appear everywhere once you know where to look. Historians—most notably Roger Ekirch—have uncovered hundreds of references in diaries, court ...

Big Time Sports On The Big Screen

Local Commentaries

The Masters Golf Tournament this year was a doozy. For us golf junkies, the Big Kahuna of the season’s contests was incredibly exciting, especially for Rory McIlroy fans. I joined that fan club about 17 years ago when he was a new name on the PGA Tour. Rory (he lets me call him by his first name) is an up-from-childhood player like Tiger Woods. His dad bought him plastic clubs at age two and he never stopped swinging. I didn’t realize until recently that he was an only child born to working-class parents. Both of them worked second jobs, hardly seeing each other, so their boy ...