Local Columnists

It took me some time to find the right words to share, but I feel this needs to be said. First and foremost, this is meant to be educational and bring...

Remember sitting outside under a tree on a hot summer day, listening to the chirping of the bugs and songs of the birds while a light breeze ruffled t...

Memorial Day and its observance have never been more critical than today — critical in that we as a nation are losing sight of what the day means, wha...

Residents of the Bolivar-Richburg Central School District will vote on the 2025-26 school budget. Along with the budget, there will be decisions to be...

There’s a longing in the American soul right now — a yearning for justice, for safety, for something that feels firm and unshakeable. I understand tha...

I am so tired! But it is a good tired. Yesterday on the road, I wanted to call it “exhaustion,” but that’s such a negative word, especially where ther...

I have been following the saga of school patrol officer Kurt Ireland on Facebook and social media, attempting to separate fact from fiction. The truth...

ALBANY — The State Legislature approved the last of nine budget bills Thursday evening, 38 days after the start of the fiscal year. The state-funded p...

There is much to do in regard to veteran support initiatives. My wife and I fully support our veterans and their families and will continue in our eff...

Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Legislature’s Democrat majorities may be touting that they’ve finally finished work on a new state budget. Make no mistake, ...

President Trump made headlines recently for suggesting that Alcatraz, the infamous prison in San Francisco Bay, should be reopened to house the worst ...

“And it’s one, two, three, what are we fightin’ for?..." Country Joe and the Fish sang those words from a protest song to half a million rain-soaked p...

The term “wasteful spending” is bandied about a lot today. I don’t want to talk about underlying controversies, or who should or should not be the one...

ALBANY — A glitch in state insurance law is allowing doctors to collect Medicaid fees that are sometimes hundreds of times higher than the program nor...

It is troubling to hear the return of outdated rhetoric concerning the makeup of our military forces. The idea that the military should only consist o...

Last month, Olean Food Pantry received the kind of news that keeps me up at night: a projected 13% federal funding cut to our food distribution capaci...

New York’s volunteer firefighters have long demonstrated an unwavering commitment to protecting our communities. Whether responding to a fire, natural...

Writers always hope for readers and for columnists, that hope is someone will identify with what they offer. This is known as “the universal element,”...