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The Hap- Happiest Time Of The Year

Local Commentaries

Springtime is upon us with sights of up-shooting tulips, trees budding, signs of daffodils, a little chill (COLD) in the air, and the feel of returning sunshine. It’s a time of hearing returned robins, children playing outside, and the call of “Play” by umpires at all levels, followed by the roar of the crowd, and crack of the bat, because Spring is not all that’s returned. Baseball has awakened from its hibernation state, and America’s Pastime has returned to fields of green, with the excitement, emotion, and fervor, I find myself experiencing at this time of every year. ...

Hochul Runs Into Walls Of Reality

Local Commentaries

Like the coyote in a Roadrunner cartoon, our governor has run smack into the walls of energy policy and tax policy. Her stance on both demonstrates her abject lack of economic sense. Regarding energy policy: Gov. Hochul was recently forced to admit publicly that New York cannot meet the net-zero mandates established by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 (CLCPA). Energy realists have been warning her for seven years that the CLCPA mandates are impossible, but the governor ignored those warnings. Or perhaps there is an election coming and people are noticing ...

About Trend Of Naming Things After Oneself

Local Commentaries

I was brought up in a tradition where normally things were named after national leaders posthumously, after history had time to judge and evaluate their contribution to society and to the country. For example, the Washington Monument wasn’t completed until sometime in the 1880’s, long after Washington had died. Similarly, the Lincoln Memorial wasn’t opened until 1922 — decades after Lincoln’s untimely assassination. Our current President apparently can’t wait for history to evaluate his impact on our history. Among other things, the Kennedy Center in Washington now bears ...

Reliance On Fossil Fuels Drives Up Costs

Local Commentaries

The New York Independent System Operators (NYISO) released an interesting white paper In January titled: Impact of National & Global Conditions on the Cost of Electricity in New York. NYISO are the folks who actually deliver your electricity, so they ought to know. The paper is objective, concise, and an easy seven-page read for anyone who is upset by high electricity prices and wants to know the factual reasons for the increase. If you don’t know the cause, how can you come up with the correct solution? The second sentence in the paper sets the stage: “Over the last five years, ...

Warm Weather Brings Return Of Issues With Homeless In Hotels

In Our Opinion

Ellicott and Falconer Central School officials knew in February the lack of issues surrounding housing the homeless in Ellicott-area hotels was likely short-lived. They were right. Warm weather brought with it a return to the issues that have had Falconer and Ellicott officials frustrated for the past few years. Four times in the past two weeks police have been called for issues at the Quality Inn in Ellicott and the Budget Inn in Falconer. Two people were charged with endangering the welfare of a child, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminally ...

Continuing Education In Humor Is Serious Business

Local Commentaries

Long car drives are good for sweeping out the sticky cobwebs. Lottsa time to think. On my way back from the writing conference I recently attended in Dayton, I had 375 highway miles to review the stimulating weekend, to relive many new stories. The conference’s real name is the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop. It is named for Erma, the housewife humorist and distinguished alumna of the University of Dayton, the conference venue. She began writing for her school newspaper in junior high school. And never quit. Dayton is a Catholic University. It was Brother Tom Price, Erma’s ...