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Opinion

DEC’s Focus On Algal Blooms Is Welcomed

In Our Opinion

There was a lot of optimism in 2018 when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced state support for projects to help local governments deal with harmful algal blooms. The announcement came with a flurry of activity - an online HAB map, four community forums in communities that had been affected by harmful algal blooms and promises of grant funding. The grant funding is still flowing, but it has felt as if Cuomo’s grand 2018 gesture had somewhat faded as other matters took up the state’s attention. That’s why the late March announcement that the state Department of Environmental ...

No Reason To Vet Rural Suicide Prevention Bill

In Our Opinion

In 2024, Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed legislation that would have created a Rural Suicide Prevention Council to address increasing rates of suicide in rural counties. The reason for the veto, you may ask? Money and concerns about duplication. Those were unconvincing reasons in 2024. If the reintroduced legislation passes the state Legislature during this session, Hochul should correct her mistake and sign the legislation into law. All one needs to do is look at the increased rates of rural suicide to see that existing state efforts wouldn’t be duplicative since they rarely make much of ...

Mayor Moves Quickly In Hiring New Police Chief

In Our Opinion

Quickly, quietly, Mayor Kim Ecklund has named a new Jamestown police chief. What a difference from the last time the city hired a police chief. For those who have forgotten, after the retirement of former chief Harry Snellings, the city cast a wide net to find a replacement. Candidates were brought in for multiple rounds of interviews. Not only did the process drag on for months, but the potential candidates were increasingly unlikely to uproot their lives in other, bigger cities to come to Jamestown. Eventually, members of the search committee pushed for Mayor Eddie Sundquist to name ...

Blakeman Paid Hefty Price For Campaign Rhetoric

In Our Opinion

Democrats spend so much time blustering about fair elections, we had assumed they actually believed in the concept. They proved last week they do not. On Tuesday, the state’s Public Campaign Finance Board chose to deny the application filed by Bruce Blakeman, Republican candidate for governor, to receive six-to-one public matching funds for individual campaign donations up to $250. Were the application fundamentally flawed, we could see denying the application. But that’s not what happened here. In December, the board created a joint filing requirement that both the governor ...

From Legends’ Mouths To Blue Bloods’ Pens

Local Commentaries

Throughout my life, as a parent, a teacher, a coach, as a churchgoer, and as an advisor when asked to be by others, I look for “magic” words that will help those whom I am raising, teaching, coaching, praying with, and/or advising. I try to think of ways to just say something I think will leave my lips and enter their minds for an assisting fix to their mission, dilemma, or cause. As my parents taught me throughout their lives as my parents, they would try and teach all of us, there are no magic words, there is no book of magic spells, there are no magic wands, or magic lamps, there ...

It’s Now Cool To Chill Out

Local Commentaries

Back in the 1960s, people were side-eyeing things like meditation, yoga, and “finding your inner self” as if someone had just suggested chatting with their toaster. Fast forward to now, and suddenly everyone has a morning mindfulness routine, a favorite breathwork app, and a strong opinion about Himalayan salt lamps. What was once “far out” is now basically a Tuesday. Even talking about energy, vibes, and intuition—once reserved for barefoot philosophers in fields—has made its way into boardrooms, brunch tables, and your neighbor’s Facebook captions. And let’s not ...