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Six Supremes put U.S. elections up for sale

Statistics suggest that our current Supreme Court justices have some of the highest IQs in America. It seems fair to conclude, then, that six of them knew exactly what they were doing when they effectively put for-sale signs on the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government—on the presidency, on the Senate, on the House of Representatives. The deciding six were Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Alito, Barrett, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Thomas. Definitely and positively, all six realized the message they were sending to candidates and their big-money organizational ...

250th anniversary of the United States a big deal

As it should be, a lot has been made this year of the 250th anniversary (birthday) of our country. It is a time to reflect back on what it has taken to bring us to where we are today. One of my siblings reminded me that, in fact, we have been alive for about 1/3rd of that time — just think about it. If you divide 250 by three … you get my age! Either I am very old or the country is very young — and both are true. It made me reflect back upon conversations with my father. He told us that in discussions he had with his grandfather, that his grandfather described working all ...

Benjamin Franklin makes visit to Chautauqua

CHAUTAUQUA— Chautauqua Institution doesn’t slow down as the season winds down. Although the last week of the season often has somewhat fewer visitors than earlier weeks, the place bustles with as much energy as ever. Morning-amphitheater programs bring out the crowds, as do afternoon ...

West Side Phase II sewers ready to go

This past week, a ribbon was cut and the county officially announced that the Sewer Extension Phase II for the West Side of Chautauqua Lake is now ready for hook-ups. If this had been a church setting, you might have been tempted to shout “Hallelujah!” or “Amen!” but, in any event, it was an important occasion. I don’t think that the general public realizes what it takes to bring such a large project of this type to fruition. A Sewer District expansion requires the approval of the municipalities involved. It also requires the creation of or expansion of sewer district ...

Lakewood should fund additional EMS services

The Post-Journal editorial in the August 17, 2026, edition was right on point concerning the changing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) situation throughout Chautauqua County along with resultant governmental cost implications, including saying “But one thing is clear – we should get used to paying for a service that we used to get for free.” The question currently on the table is whether Chautauqua County should increase its payout to provide an additional EMS service for a specific portion of the county. Two aspects about such a payout arise. First, there is an on-going ...

County historian saves historic voting machines from scrap yard

Chautauqua County is about to lose another piece of history and nobody except County Historian Norman Carlson seems to know about. The 21st Century history of voting winds through western New York and most specifically Chautauqua County’s Jamestown where the world headquarters for the now defunct Automatic Voting Machine (AVM) was once located. An erected historic marker on the city’s Jones & Gifford Ave. states, “At this site from 1895 to 1993, Jamestown-based companies pioneered in developing, manufacturing and servicing of mechanical-lever voting machines and electronic ...