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Opinion

Unpaid EMS Fees Are A Sign of Trouble

In Our Opinion

Two Chautauqua County fire districts not paying EMS fees billed by Chautauqua County isn’t a big deal - yet. County officials said in a news release recently that the county is taking steps to resolve unpaid fees owed by the Forestville and Frewsburg Fire Districts for Advanced Life Support ambulance intercepts. If payment agreements aren’t reached, the county may suspend some services provided in the areas. We hope it doesn’t get to that, though county officials said Forestville and Frewsburg fire district officials have hired attorneys after raising “novel constitutional ...

Feeling Drained?

Local Commentaries

1+2=3, 3-2=1. Both of these are considered rather elementary equations as a reference to how one can add or subtract a value directed by which mathematical symbol is being applied. In a similar manner, life is a metaphor of “additions” and “subtractions” that shape the world around us by our individual contributions; symbolizing our true values through our positive or negative expressions. Let’s take this a step further and incorporate a plumbing reference for levity and clarity, where you’re either a faucet (positively) pouring value into the world or a drain taking it ...

Thomas Celebrates 250th Anniversary

Local Commentaries

AUSTIN, Texas—The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is at hand. America needs history-rooted expositions of founding ideas to celebrate this semiquincentennial. It’s also called the bisesquicentennial, sestercentennial, or quarter millennium. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has ably provided such an exposition. You, faithful reader of this column, will recall the principle that in America, government has only those powers that We the People surrendered to government in the first place. This is the default setting. It’s like the default settings on ...

Tax Cap Overrides Here To Stay Until Changes Made

In Our Opinion

It should come as no surprise to city residents that the Jamestown City Council is likely to override the state’s 2% tax cap when it meets for its voting session in May. The end of American Rescue Plan Act funding removes an outside revenue sources that could have helped to eliminate a tax increase without dipping into the city’s surplus. In February, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $1.6 million in additional state aid for Jamestown as part of the state budget, but additional aid allocations aren’t always unrestricted aid - and that funding won’t be secured until Hochul and the ...

Regional Approach Needed For Deer Problem In City

In Our Opinion

To borrow from Ron Burgundy, we have a breaking and urgent news bulletin - Jamestown has a deer problem. Of course, anyone who lives in Jamestown knows this. And, as the four incumbents on the City Council know, trying to deal with the deer problem is a no-win situation. The council can’t get agreement amongst city residents that there even is a deer problem. Roughly half of the population is tired of the deer eating everything in sight or of dealing with the occasional diseased deer in their yard. Half of the city loves the deer, feeds the deer and generally encourages the deer ...

County Funding Is An Investment In The Comedy Center

In Our Opinion

There are going to be some who will be upset if the Chautauqua County Legislature approves a $200,000 allocation to the National Comedy Center when the legislature meets Wednesday. We understand the concerns. Millions of government dollars have been given to help build the center, and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been given - largely from the state and federal governments - to help market the center and sustain it during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are some who will say the National Comedy Center shouldn’t get more local government money given the needs facing the ...