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Poll opens door for comptroller candidate

Underdog candidate for New York state comptroller Joseph Hernandez was energized this week by a Siena Poll that was far from flattering to longtime incumbent Thomas DiNapoli. Though the Democrat has held the position since 2007, 65% of the voters surveyed indicated they had never heard of ...

RNC bucks red state’s election law

Federal law establishes Election Day for federal offices as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? But wait. What about mailed absentee ballots? What about mail-in ballots? Does federal law mean such ballots must arrive at local boards of election by Election Day? Or does federal law mean they need only be postmarked by Election Day? At issue before the U.S. Supreme Court, with a decision expected by June, is this very question. The challenge is to Mississippi law, which requires that ballots (1) be postmarked by Election ...

Finding upsides to losing downstate connection

Did you ever have a fantasy about something happening that you knew could never happen but that it would be nice if it did. Well, back in February, Minnesota Gov. Mike Walz said something that started me fantasizing. Speaking of the then ongoing strife between ICE officers and residents in Minneapolis he mused that the political tensions might represent a “Fort Sumter” moment leading to an unraveling of the union. As is usually the case with Walz he got things wrong, but his remark got me thinking along another path on how upstate New York might secede from downstate. Now there ...

Expensive round trip to priceless laughter

I was backing out of a downtown parking space when something flashed on my dashboard. The mileage calculator changed to a wrench. OMG. What’s wrong? This is not good. It was late Tuesday, and I was leaving for Dayton Thursday morning. I was heading for the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop – a professional, fun, and stimulating conference. I couldn’t wait. And now this? It was almost 5 p.m., so I drove directly to my mechanics. Rick and Mark have kept me safely on the road for more than 15 years. On my way to their shop, I glanced up at the oil sticker on the windshield. ...

Embracing new start for WCA Home

Word of a new beginning at the WCA Home in Fredonia brought plenty of enthusiasm from area leaders and community residents. Last Sunday, it was announced the historic facility on Temple Street would be brought back to life as the new Northern Chautauqua County Headquarters for Aspire of WNY. According to the news release on Sunday, the partnership is the culmination of a multi-year effort by the WCA Home board to secure a mission-aligned nonprofit organization to continue the building and organization’s legacy of human services and community support. On March 10, Aspire of WNY and ...

April Fools: Is this the future of football?

Editor’s note: This was submitted as an April Fool’s piece. In an unexpected move that stunned fans across Western New York, owners Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula announced this morning they have agreed to sell the Buffalo Bills to former hedge fund manager and pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli. Shkreli, who was released from federal prison in 2022 after a securities fraud conviction, said “I’ve paid my debt to society” and called the purchase “a redemption story.” He promised to “modernize football economics.” The reported $9.8 billion deal — which sources ...