Breaking News

Opinion

Crime Numbers Are Positive, But Underlying Issues Persist

In Our Opinion

There’s been a lot of discussion over the past few years among those who are concerned that Jamestown isn’t as safe as it once was. We have a feeling no city is as safe as it was back in the 1950s. But another year of data indicates 2022-23 may have been a crime spike rather than a new normal when it comes to crime in Jamestown. Overall crime decreased 2.35% in 2025. Incidents that required a police response have decreased from a six-year high of 41,412 in 2023 to 36,016 in 2025. It’s still more than it was in 2020 (32,173) but trending in the right direction. Burglaries have ...

Readers' Forum

Letters To The Editor

Iran War Is A Deflection Tactic To The Reader’s Forum: And so it begins … war with Iran. Is Iran a “good” country? Trump says Khomeini is bad. Does Iran want to befriend its own people? So, what is the reason for American involvement? There seems to be no good answer. Some say it’s because Iran does not support its people’s wishes, but U.S. government agencies (ICE) kill unarmed American citizens against Americans’ wishes. Some say it’s that Iran could have missiles that might reach the U.S., but there is no such evidence. Some say Iran could have weapons-grade nuclear ...

Lessons Learned On A Trip To Ohio

Local Commentaries

Recently, we took a road trip to Ohio with another couple. It was a good break from the winter doldrums. We stopped to see old friends, renew old memories and revisit old, familiar places. Ohio seems like it will never end. There are places of beautiful rolling hills, but then there are the seemingly endless, flat plains of the great craton...the corn belt that spans across several states in the Midwest. We drove for three days and never left the State of Ohio. One of the rewards of seeing old friends is that it is easy. Though you may not have seen them for several years, you ...

Lake Alliance Needs More Than A ‘Cone Of Silence’

Local Commentaries

Remember the television show Get Smart with Don Adams and Barbara Feldon and their “cone of silence” which they used for top secret conversations? Recall that it never really worked. Our own Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance has unsuccessfully attempted to operate in such a “cone” for several years now. Readers may recall the Post-Journal editorial of November 22, 2025, which concluded: “It’s time for the Alliance’s failed closed meeting experiment to end.” That editorial addressed only one of the organizational and procedural defects preventing ...

Anchors Aweigh - And All That Jazz

Local Commentaries

When the Fredonia Opera House announced this concert, I closed my laptop and picked up the phone. The U.S. Navy Band’s Sea Chanters were at the Opera House for an evening concert last Friday and I wasn’t going to miss it. It seemed a shame for just Richard and me to enjoy it, so we invited two musician friends to join us. No, we weren’t generous big spenders. All tickets to all military band events are complimentary. Our four tickets arrived in the mail two days later. My friend Ann grew up playing the piano. These days she makes music mostly at church in both the choir and ...

Narrowing Tax Base Won’t Fund Programs

In Our Opinion

One of the most consequential trends in American politics is that Democrats are increasingly discovering what Republicans have known for decades: Voters don’t like taxes. Now the gubernatorial primary in California has become an experiment in how far tax cuts might take a Democratic politician in one of the country’s bluest states. Katie Porter, one of the most progressive legislators during her six years in Congress, is running for governor and polling in the middle of a crowded field. To boost her languishing campaign, she has proposed eliminating state income taxes — for ...