OTHER VOICES Downtown Business Improvement District Can Help City Thrive By DANNY LAPIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com “What does Downtown Oneonta need?” This is a question I’ve heard and asked nearly every day since I moved to the City of the Hills in mid-2015. Answers vary but they usually fall within three categories: more people, fewer storefront vacancies, and more stuff to do. In 2017, the City of Oneonta received a $10 million award through Governor Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative.…
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Columns - Page 128
FRONT PORCH PERSPECTIVE Where Everybody Know Your Name… By JIM ATWELL • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com I’ll admit first off that I’m not writing this on my front porch. It’s as cold as, well, January out there, for heaven’s sake! And so I’m settled on a comfortable couch back in the family room. Cassey the dog is with me, sprawled on her back, nose almost on my keyboard. Though her face is upside down, she is staring at me fixedly, intent…
With Love, Via Dr. King Delgado Quotes Mentor: Only Love Conquers Hate Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Congressman Antonio Delgado’s Sunday, Jan. 19, address at the Schenectady County Human Rights Commission’s MLK Day commemoration. Delgado represents the 19th District, which includes Otsego County. Dr. King has long been my North Star. The power of the man spoke to me even before I fully grasped the magnitude of his legacy. And to stand here today, provided with the opportunity…
Legal Marijuana Offers Harmful, Empty Promises By JULIE DOSTAL • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com This is not your parents’ weed. Information and data from states that have legalized marijuana should give New Yorkers reason to pump the brakes on taxed, regulated recreational use. Legalization of the 2020 version of cannabis is not about consenting adults discretely smoking a joint in the privacy of their home. It is about an industry-driven, full-on commercialization with pot shops, pot advertisements, pot sponsorships, and pot…
WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER Sanctuaries For People, Not Guns A sanctuary, according to Merriam Webster, is “A consecrated place such as: “A: The ancient Hebrew temple at Jerusalem or its holy of holies. “B: The most sacred part of a religious building, such as the part of a Christian church in which the altar is placed. “C: A place of refuge and protection. “D: A refuge for wildlife where predators are controlled and hunting is illegal.” In 2018, California…
REPORT FROM THE ATRIUM Now, Foothills Major Driver Of Economy By BILL YOUNGS • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.COM As I start my sixth year as the director of Foothills I’d like to thank the Oneonta community and the entire region for their support again in 2019. I am proud to report that we hosted 314 events which included everything from the Grand Oneonta Opera, a Vet’s tribute with Jerrod Niemann, a Rolling Stones tribute, Tusk- a Fleetwood Mac tribute, the Oneonta…
VIEW FROM WEST DAVENPORT Rising To The Fly By MICHAEL ZAGATA • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Fishermen understand why the brook trout they catch are often smaller than the brown trout they catch. It’s because the brown trout are more discerning about “rising to the fly” and thus falling victim to the fishermen’s net, while brook trout are prone to rise to the first fly they see. There is a lesson there for all of us with regards to how we…
BE AFRAID, BUT DO IT ANYWAY Heartache In The Heartland By ERNA MORGAN McREYNOLDS • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com If you took a bet when I was born it wouldn’t have been for success. My parents had moved to Upstate New York five years before I was born so my Dad could follow his dream. He wanted a farm like the one he left in Northern Ireland as teenager fleeing “the troubles” in 1926. A farm of green fields with horses…
VIEW FROM ALBANY Job #1: Halt Outmigration, Then Deficit, Bail Reform By State Sen. JAMES SEWARD • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com The 2020 New York State legislative session got its official start a few days ago with the governor’s State of the State address. While the governor mentioned a few ideas I can back, for the most part, he glossed over or completely ignored some of the toughest challenges facing our state. New York State is losing population at an alarming…
VIEW FROM WEST DAVENPORT Save Eagles From Environmentalism In 1969, our country moved from demonstrating against the Vietnam War to marching for environmental protection. That year, Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which required federal agencies to do an Environmental Assessment (EA) and/or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prior to granting a permit allowing a “project” to go forward. If it was determined the project wouldn’t cause any “significant” environmental impact, a Negative Declaration (Neg Dec) could be…
