Prior to our undeclared war with Iran, I had heard of the “War Powers Act” but I had never paid any attention to it, likely because every President from Nixon to Trump, both Republican and Democrat has paid no attention to it either. However, the start of the war got Congressional ...
State lawmakers, largely Democrats, want to increase Open Meetings Law and FOIL request training requirements for local government officials. Given the recent altercation in the Chautauqua County records room involving a self-proclaimed First Amendment auditor, the training likely isn’t a bad idea. Local public records officials need to be the experts in the room when it comes to releasing records, and too often that isn’t the case. But in our opinion the legislature should also help local governments driven to the point of frustration by bot-driven FOIL requests and local ...
The first verse of the Canadian national anthem declares how Canadians feel about their country: “Oh Canada! Our proud and native land!” The world’s second-largest country geographically is keenly aware of how underpopulated she is for that size. Canada is not only allowing immigrants ...
America’s 250th birthday is a special anniversary in the history of our nation; the success of this great experiment should be celebrated and, this year, I would encourage you to reflect on what it is that has made America so special. Alexis de Tocqueville, a political philosopher who studied and toured America in the 19th century, once commented that America’s culture of voluntary association is one of our nation’s greatest strengths. Ordinary citizens coming together in groups, clubs, churches, charities, civic organizations, and local committees to solve problems together ...
Every month, the electric bill brings a bit more pain to New York state residents. According to the Empire Center’s Energy Data Bulletin, households are paying the fourth-highest electricity prices in the country. In April 2026, residential electricity prices in New York averaged 29.45 cents per kilowatt-hour – 56 percent above the national average of 18.83 cents. New York’s electricity costs rose 3.1% from March and were 14.6 percent higher than a year earlier – nearly four times the rate of inflation, the Center reported. Since 2019, the state’s average residential ...
An artist’s rendering of the former Third Street post office features a big Chautauqua County logo on the building’s wall facing Jamestown City Hall instead of the Lucille Ball mural that was also used as a U.S. postage stamp. We’re sure it’s artistic license as part of a sales pitch rather than a serious proposal to actually remove the mural, but the artist’s rendering raises a question that we hope Chautauqua County legislators keep in mind before they vote on a proposal to consolidate the county’s Jamestown offices into the post office building - what else looks funny ...
