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Opinion

Ending Waivers Won’t Change Smoking Rates

In Our Opinion

Chautauqua County officials want to push the remaining organizations that have indoor smoking waivers to go smokefree. Smoking indoors in public places became largely illegal in New York state with the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act on July 24, 2003, banning smoking in most workplaces, restaurants, and bars. There are five remaining private organizations with waivers to allow indoor smoking - and those five clubs will begin paying more for the privilege: $300 annually to $650 in 2026, and to $1,000 in 2027. We can’t argue with the health benefits of going smokefree. There are ...

Lakewood Reinforces The Need For A Strong Lake Plan

In Our Opinion

The upcoming Chautauqua Lake Symposium is promised to be a time to describe a shift from study to action when it comes to Chautauqua Lake. It’s exciting news after so many years of study and debate. It is long past time, in our opinion, to begin working on the root causes of what ails Chautauqua Lake. That will mean the expensive job of tackling the internal loading of phosphorus in the lake that is the likely cause of algal blooms on the lake each year. And, action will mean continued maintenance to deal with invasive plants in the lake that make navigation a hassle for boaters - ...

Officials Need To Push Harder On Homeless In Area Hotels

In Our Opinion

It’s frustrating, as we noted recently, that local officials are in the position of writing a letter to demand action from the state to help hasten the move away from the use of hotels to house the homeless. It’s frustrating to see the state continue to write blank checks for the practice even as the cost to house the homeless in hotels has increased 400% over the past six years. But it’s just as frustrating to see the same aimless direction over the past two years from local officials. We’ve been hearing for two years that the county is working on a plan to create ...

Raise The Age Should Not Be Expanded

In Our Opinion

A 24-year-old Jamestown man has been indicted by a Chautauqua County Grand Jury in relation to a shooting on East Second Street in July 2025. The other person charged in relation to the same shooting is also 24. Imagine a future in which both of those are tried in Family Court. It’s entirely possible if some Democrats have their way. Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, D-Brooklyn, is proposing the creation of a new “New Young Adult Offender” status that would cover individuals between the ages of 19 and 25 under the states’ Raise the Age program. Raise the Age went into effect in ...

Something To Know About Trees

Local Commentaries

By Margot Russell Next time you are walking through a swath of trees, whether on a trail near Westfield or in the shady confines of your backyard, I want you to picture this: that the trees all live in their own small village, with rambunctious saplings playing the role of the village youngsters, the elder trees playing the stately kings and their court, and the newly established trees the princes waiting for their elders to fall so they can take their rightful place in the sunshine. And don’t believe for a second that the trees are inanimate and idol. There are dramas being played ...

Ah, The Luck Of The Irish

Local Commentaries

There are many celebrations of holidays where we gather with friends and party with strangers, depending on where we might be, that might involve special dress, special colors, special greetings, songs, and/or traditions. Themes are very important in the celebrations of these days. Some come with a day off from work or school, some become a little more excitable (rowdy?), but celebrating them makes for a very enjoyable time. This coming Tuesday, March 17, is one of those days. It’s the yearly celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, where we see many shamrocks, green clothes, festive ...