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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 ...

The tails that wag the political dogs

Local Commentaries

There has been a lot of “hoopla” recently about how the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are taking over the Democratic Party. At least that is what conservative tabloids like the New York Post and their allies would make you think. In truth, the history of the Democratic Party, at least in New York State, is that there has always been a “free-for-all,” especially in New York City, between the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and what are called the “regulars,”—those with a more centrist view of politics. Back when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was Governor of New ...

City has opportunity to build on 10 years of Chadakoin River work

In Our Opinion

The Chadakoin River looks a lot different in 2026 than it did in 2016. Comedy Park behind the National Comedy Center is beautiful. Two pedestrian bridges have been constructed. Kayakers are seen on the river, something that seemed like a heavy lift 10 years ago, while projects to clear brush, debris and vegetation from the Chadakoin River’s shores have made the area virtually unrecognizable over the course of a decade. Now, city officials have a chance to build on that work. Projects included in the city’s DRI application include a performance area including tiered natural ...

Democrats keep moving left

Local Commentaries

CHAUTAUQUA—The framers of the Constitution didn’t envision political parties. Yet small-r republican government often leads to forming alliances and, by extension, political parties. In the United States, establishing the Electoral College in effect secured a system with two major ...

Subpar renewables jolt electric costs

Editor's Corner

Long before wind turbines and solar panels began engulfing upstate and the Southern Tier, New York had a healthy power supply. It was built upon generating stations that were near the shores of Lake Erie and the New York Power Authority based in Niagara Falls that produces renewable ...

Hard to believe this phase of Army Corps’ work is nearly complete

In Our Opinion

It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since the Army Corps of Engineers began its project on Chautauqua Lake. While we continue to deal with many of the typical issues on the lake - algal blooms, removal of newer invasive species like starry stonewort and the water chestnut and maintenance of longstanding invasive species - the Army Corps of Engineers has spent the past nearly two years working in the background. The Army Corps’ work has been so quiet that many area residents may have forgotten they were even here. Engineers are working to address questions about excess ...