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Hopeful Signs Continue At Chautauqua

In Our Opinion

CHAUTAUQUA—When Justice Sandra Day O’Connor announced her retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Bush 43 administration considered several possible successors. One of them was the author of the 2024 memoir Quiet Counsel: Looking Back on a Life of Service to the Law. Meet Larry Thompson, who picked a fitting title for his book. Thompson, who from 2001 to 2003 had been deputy attorney general under Attorney General John Ashcroft, received a call from the White House asking whether he’d consent to being considered for the Supreme Court. Thompson writes that the call never ...

It’s Full Speed Ahead With Roundabouts

Editor's Corner

Apprehension within the northern Chautauqua County community that included a lawsuit by a local business to stop the road project greeted the announcement of a proposed roundabout at Routes 60 and 20 in the village of Fredonia in 2017. Even today, some opponents remain vocal regarding the New ...

With The Benefit Of Hindsight, Westfield Hospital Finds Its Niche

In Our Opinion

It’s been 20 years since the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, or the Berger Commission, said Westfield Memorial Hospital should be turned into a diagnostic treatment center. The community rallied on the hospital’s behalf, with the state choosing to reverse the Berger Commission’s recommendation, giving Westfield Memorial Hospital five years as an Article 28 licensed hospital. That five years gave hospital officials time to look at its health care system and find ways to make improvements and provide services more effectively to the community. Fast ...

Emotional Support Animal Changes Are Above City’s Pay Grade

In Our Opinion

A city landlord’s plea last week for help in limiting the number of animals a tenant is allowed isn’t the first such plea. Nor will it be the last until federal guidance curbs the overreach of court decisions that have granted emotional support animals the same status as service animals. In the case of Robin Persaud, a Lakewood resident who owns rental properties in Jamestown, the issue of tenants having too many cats by claiming they are emotional support animals is one that largely is above the City Council’s pay grade. For years landlords who didn’t want the hassle of ...

Two Ways To Look At Microgrid Funding Termination

In Our Opinion

There are two ways to look at last week’s news that the Trump Administration is terminating $27 million in funding for the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities’ Microgrid project. One is to wonder why funding for a natural gas powered project ran afoul of a president who favors natural gas over wind and solar projects. The BPU Microgrid system involves utilizing existing power generation equipment to power a strong network of underground electrical distribution circuitry to ensure electricity runs to the core of downtown Jamestown independent of regional power providers. The ...

County Budget Largely ‘Status Quo’ Budget

Local Commentaries

The tentative 2026 County Budget recently unveiled by the County Executive appears to be largely a status quo budget. The Tentative Budget continues the routine of raising County Real Property Taxes every year by $1,700,000 or so, it keeps County government employment at about 1,200 employees, and foresees no significant improvements or efficiencies in the delivery of County services. It is important to look at the context of this 2026 Tentative Budget. In 2009 County Property Taxes were $54,900,000. In 2024 they were $71,500,000, up 32%. In 2025 County Property Taxes went up again ...