Breaking News

Local Commentaries

E-bikes: The “Wild West”

Few things are scarier than driving your car and then suddenly realizing there is an e-bike coming at you heading the wrong way on a one-way street. In eight years as a City Court Judge (2014-2021) handling Vehicle and Traffic tickets, among many other duties, there were no obvious issues with e-bikes and e-scooters. I do not recall a single traffic ticket related to the operation of an e-bike or e-scooter. Now everyday exposes area drivers to encountering e-bikes going against traffic, blowing past red lights and stop signs, randomly alternating between traveling on sidewalks and ...

Changing stories on high gas prices

Mr. Trump’s diesel deal with Putin will force Americans to fund both sides of the Iran war and finance the ongoing slaughter of Ukrainian civilians by Russia. It is blood money that will fund Putin's war economy. Russia in turn will continue to support Iran with intel and weaponry that will be used against U.S. military personnel and assets and our allies in the region. It’s not just (another) massive strategic blunder; It is morally repugnant. Blaming Ukraine for high diesel prices is a talking point straight from the Kremlin. It brings to mind the old Soviet joke “The past is ...

Clymer Amish return to Supreme Court

CLYMER—In a challenge to New York law, freedom of religion is before the U.S. Supreme Court. Among the challengers, according to court filings, are Shady Lane School in Clymer and Clymer-resident Joseph Miller, a school-board member with children attending the school. Our neighbors in ...

The importance of public water systems

This past week marked a big event at our house—we were finally connected to the public sewer system that has just been completed along the west side of Chautauqua Lake. When it happened, it was really a “non-event.” The toilet flushed the same way, the drains in the sink were no different than before—yet, we knew that our wastewater was now going to a better place—the public sewage treatment plant in Celoron. Actually, I think that I slept better that night, knowing that this 10-year odyssey of getting sewers up the lake had finally come to a successful conclusion at our ...

The times are a changin’

I enjoyed reading Mr. Kidder’s perspective about the history of public education in our county and his understanding and respect for the value of public education. I also appreciated the piece about the Board of Regents’ decision to decouple Regents exams from graduation requirements. I’d like to provide my perspective on this change. First, I understand the notion that Regents exams can provide a level of rigor and accountability to a school district. After all, when there is a standard students must demonstrate to receive a diploma, it can hold an institution accountable to ...

AI & MI : dynamic duo of destruction?

"The end is near." That familiar refrain has echoed for millennia without coming to fruition. The argument has been made that the rapid pace of artificial intelligence has brought the world closer to that apocalyptic end. Bill Gates has issued a stark warning that artificial intelligence could cause "a billion deaths" if it falls into the wrong hands. He called for mandatory government regulation and internal monitoring safeguards, stating a bipartisan "kill switch" alone is insufficient. Sam Altman, the chief executive of Open AI, joined others in the artificial intelligence ...