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The legacy of 1776 in Chautauqua County

Local Commentaries

Before the Declaration was penned, a 17-year-old fought for the American cause in the Continental Army at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He continued serving throughout the Revolutionary War, including at Saratoga, Trenton, and Princeton. At Oriskany, his courage—alongside that of a fellow lieutenant—helped turn the battle, forcing the British to withdraw and preventing a major enemy victory. He made his mark in securing our nation’s freedom. After the war, he made an even greater mark when he was called to preach. Sent by the Connecticut Congregational Missionary Society, John ...

Dealing with the heat of summer

Local Commentaries

One day, a week or so ago, when it was 91 degrees, I drove by the electric power plant run by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) in Jamestown. I thought, and it turned out to be true, that the natural gas turbine there was running at full bore—pumping electricity into a statewide grid that needed it badly. Jamestown, itself, didn’t need the power—it gets most of what it needs from the Niagara Power Project at Niagara Falls. But, the statewide grid needed every available resource online to ensure that the air conditioner load in New York City and the metropolitan area didn’t ...

Tax cuts are only for the rich

Local Commentaries

All we ever hear from Republicans is, we must deny benefits in order to reduce taxes. In reality our tax system is forever increasing taxes on those who have the least and reducing taxes for those that have the most. In fact many of the wealthiest people in this country pay no income tax, at all. If people really cared about reducing their tax burden, they would stop voting for those who deny earned benefits to those with lower incomes, so grants and contracts can be provided to those who already have all the money. In theory we have a progressive system of taxation. Since the ...

The post-commercial air service future is here for county

In Our Opinion

It should come as no surprise to anyone except the most ardent supporters of the Jamestown Airport that the federal government has once again declined to restore the airport’s Essential Air Service subsidy. We noted last year that the number of passengers had decreased in the latest Essential Air Service proposal while the amount of the federal government’s subsidy was projected to increase. That was hardly the best way to show the federal government that there was so much pent-up demand locally that the Jamestown airport would be able to average 10 passengers per flight and a ...

Greatest indicator of upward mbility may be surprising

Local Commentaries

CHAUTAUQUA—What’s the greatest indicator of children’s upward mobility? Think about that. What do you suppose the answer is? American Enterprise Institute fellow Naomi Schaefer Riley raised that question during her presentation to Advocates for Balance at Chautauqua, or ABC, on July ...

Feather in cap of serving becomes heavy lift

Editor's Corner

Being elected to serve on a municipal board does not appear to come with the prestige it once brought in Chautauqua County. Instead, it often brings oversized headaches. Within the last year, especially in the north county, debates with the public have become almost as fractured as partisan ...