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Selling memories in the driveway

It’s time for a garage sale. I haven’t tackled this particular craziness in more than ten years, but it is time. In the years since, Dear Richard and I have donated saleable goodies to a handful of local charities as well as annual fundraising sales. We’ve dragged out furniture, rugs, and I even persuaded Richard to donate many of his unused tools. We parted with three air conditioners, lamps, and more of my late mother’s earrings than a jewelry store could stock at one time. Even my handblown wedding Austrian crystal now graces someone else’s dining table. But it was okay ...

Dems learn no one is above the law

There is an old saying that goes like this: “What goes around comes around” and it very well describes the feelings of many about the indictment of New York state Attorney General Letitia James for “bank fraud.” The story first broke in April when federal housing regulators accused James of making false statements on mortgage loan applications. In August, Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed a special attorney to investigate the allegations regarding the loan after the Federal Housing Finance Agency referred the matter to the Justice Department. James was indicted in ...

Medal of Honor goes to true heroes

When a soldier, sailor, marine or an airman commits a heroic act they may be submitted by others to receive the Medal of Honor. The acts I am speaking of are usually ones where the recipient engaged in a life-threatening act. It could be that they put themselves in grave peril to save ...

Thus far, a quiet election

This is an “off year” in politics. There are no elections for federal office. That comes next year when there will be elections for Congress. That doesn’t mean that the elections this year are unimportant. Who we elect for County Executive, the County Legislature and other local offices is still important. Local elections give us the opportunity to choose elected officials who are the closest to us, and who operate most of the government that we deal with on a daily basis. Some don’t like them, but I am a big believer in political campaign signs. They remind us of our ...

Chautauqua County spending: Latest plan sticks with ‘status quo’

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 ...

Weekend voices: No sense in Hochul’s dangerous endorsement

State Gov. Kathy Hochul recently endorsed Zorhan Mamdani for New York City Mayor — an endorsement she would not make without being fully on-board with Mamdani’s open support for authoritarian Marxist/Socialist ideology. (As demonstrated earlier, all Socialism, “Democratic” or otherwise, is necessarily totalitarian and authoritarian.) With her endorsement, our governor must now demonstrate her sincerity through her actions. Hochul must now implement the primary objective of Marx’s Socialism: Seize the means of production (businesses) away from private ownership and bring all ...