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No one upset over Trump’s defunding

I think this time I will let the experts do most of the talking. They can best describe the dangerous situation that our country is in right now. We have been moving toward a coup of our established democratic republic – slowly for several decades and now Project 2025 and Trump’s insatiable desire to take control of everything is barreling us toward autocracy. No free and fair elections, no environmental regulations, no social services or safety nets, no healthcare, nothing for you unless you are in the most upper part of the upper class. No freedom of religion, no equality for ...

Bravo to Ellery, Lakewood leaders

Ellery, Lakewood Leaders Have Brains, Guts Ellery, Lakewood Leaders Have Brains, Guts To Fight Drive Sword Through Heart Of Wetlands Regulations Drive Sword Through Wetlands Regulations By Randy Elf CHAUTAUQUA LAKE—Humanity has devastated the natural state of Chautauqua Lake, thereby making weeds far worse than they otherwise would have been. This is primarily because of — what humanity dumped into Chautauqua Lake generations ago and — insufficiently constraining weeds in recent decades. A weed-clogged Chautauqua Lake is not—repeat, not—the natural state of ...

Late summer’s bounty – a corny story

This summer the corn has been especially yummy – worth waiting for. As I write those words, I realize that I have written a fair amount about our favorite golden vegetable in the last 21 years. Let’s just say I’m biased about the buttery, yummy stuff. My mother loved corn on the cob and she taught me how to eat it – old-fashioned typewriter style: Bite into 3 or 4 rows, work that stripe to the end, before returning to the beginning and another 4-row stripping of the luscious niblets. We joked about waiting for the bell to ring at the end of the cob before going back to the ...

‘Drums Along the Mohawk’ has a lot to tell

Is there a book that you return to time after time? I do. It’s a novel entitled “Drums Along the Mohawk” by Walter D Edmonds that was originally published in 1936. It remained on the best seller list for two years, second only to Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind.” Right now, I’ve embarked on my fifth or sixth reading of this classic. The exact number gets lost in my memory bank. I’ve now reached the point where each rereading is a way of renewing acquaintances with the characters who are now old friends. In 1939 the novel was adapted by Twentieth Century Fox ...

Lies, attacks corrode democracy

A divisive, fascist political campaign has targeted transgender Americans for several years. Writing as a cisgender straight male, I see this not only as an attack on these individuals, but as an attack on our democracy itself. Since 2021, state legislatures have proposed 2,492 bills and 265 have passed, aimed at restricting gender-affirming care, access to bathrooms, and legal recognition, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker. The Anti-Trans campaign is imbued and fueled by fear, lacking data or reason. A movement this large and this inflammatory has disastrous implications for ...

Bridge project progresses despite issues

For those who use the Chautauqua Lake Bridge on a daily basis, there has been recent good news—there is now a “temporary” exit ramp for Bemus Point on the eastbound lane just as you cross the bridge. Businesses in Bemus and the Village had been asking that this be done, and, to its credit, the State DOT made the decision to do so. It complicates things a bit for workers and contractors who had been accessing the bridge from the east side. They will now have to come in from the west side in order to avoid traffic using the new exit ramp. But, the new arrangement, thus far, seems ...