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The tails that wag the political dogs

There has been a lot of “hoopla” recently about how the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are taking over the Democratic Party. At least that is what conservative tabloids like the New York Post and their allies would make you think. In truth, the history of the Democratic Party, at least in New York State, is that there has always been a “free-for-all,” especially in New York City, between the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and what are called the “regulars,”—those with a more centrist view of politics. Back when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was Governor of New ...

Welcome Electrovaya: the rest of the story

Electrovaya, a Canadian company that is making advanced proprietary lithium-ion batteries for industrial applications, is remodeling an existing manufacturing facility, located on 52 acres in the County’s Industrial Park in the Town of Ellicott. This will be Electrovaya’s first manufacturing facility in the United States, with a projected 100-150 jobs. This development comes against a backdrop of “Employment” in Chautauqua County having plunged from 64,000 about 15 years ago to 50,000 now. The rest of the story is necessary to understand why Electrovaya is coming ...

Three feet can make all the difference

Every day, people in Chautauqua County share our roads. Most of us do so behind the wheel of a car or truck, but many of our neighbors travel by bicycle—for exercise, recreation, transportation, or simply because they enjoy riding. When a bicycle and a motor vehicle meet on the road, there is an obvious difference in size and weight. A moment of inattention or a vehicle passing too closely can have devastating consequences for the person on the bicycle. That is why I am proposing a local law requiring motorists to allow at least three feet of space when passing a bicyclist. New ...

Dunkirk Battery Energy Storage project is another scam

The average cost of residential electricity in New York is 29 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt hour. The average in Chautauqua County is 22 cents to 24 cents per kilowatt hour. In Pennsylvania residential electricity costs 13 cents per kilowatt hour. Why do New York residents pay so much more? A recent article in the Post Journal provided clues. It was titled “Blistering temps take toll on state grid” It cited the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) dashboard indicator regarding how electricity is made in NY. It said total NY electricity produced by ...

Democrats keep moving left

CHAUTAUQUA—The framers of the Constitution didn’t envision political parties. Yet small-r republican government often leads to forming alliances and, by extension, political parties. In the United States, establishing the Electoral College in effect secured a system with two major ...

A challenging year in grape country

Alarm bells went off earlier this year, when Refresco Company announced that it was cancelling grape contracts in this area. It had been a large purchaser of Concord grapes here in Chautauqua County. I have not been privy to the decision of Refresco but am assuming that at least part of its decision was based upon the fact that grape processing was a small part of its overall international operations, and corporate big-wigs decided to focus company efforts more on its core businesses. Whatever the reason, it left some grape growers without an immediate market for their grapes. For ...