LETTER from ALLEN ANDERSON Sanctuary Idea About Guns, Our Freedoms To the Editor: In a recent opinion piece by Julie Sorenson of the League of Women Voters, she urged the Otsego County Board of Representatives to vote against making the county a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” and stated the adoption of such a resolution was problematic because it was intended to subvert New York State gun laws. She then goes on with the usual rhetoric about gun control. What Ms. Sorenson…
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Opinion - Page 276
WINTER WELLNESS Feeling Blue? There Are Remedies With fall getting underway, staying resilient calls for an extra focus on self-care, an essential ingredient of emotional and physical wellbeing of our families and our community. Stress wears us down. How can we counteract that? Let’s take a look at some basic protective factors: nutrition, sleep, activity and meaningful connections. Mood, energy and resistance to illness are hugely impacted by body chemistry, and we can do things to improve that chemistry. Notice…
EDITORIAL Let’s Stick With It: We’re Beating COVID-19 COVID-19 numbers are rising again nationally, but we’re zigging as the nation zags. As this edition went to press Tuesday, Oct. 13, SUNY Oneonta had not reported a single COVID case in the previous five days. This, in an institution that had 100 infestations in one night at the end of August. Since infections there totaled 712, and they closed the campus until after Thanksgiving. So zero-zero-zero-zero-zero is particularly welcome news. •…
LETTER from DAN BUTTERMANN Needed Bail Reform Needs More Reform The intent of New York State’s bail reform law was good – to make the pretrial process equal for all and free from bias. However, the reform bill passed in 2019 had flaws. Although I fully agree that the enacted law needs reform, we cannot return to a system that allows for punishment before a conviction. At the same time, our system must be sufficiently flexible to ensure violent criminals…
Editorial Can Sanctuary Energy Be Channeled Into Reform? In 2017, you may remember, the Village of Cooperstown dipping its toe in the “sanctuary” pond. The Village Board passed a resolution telling the federal government it could not depend on the cooperation of Cooperstown police if ICE – U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement – were to launch a local raid. Happily, ICE was occupied with real hot-spots and the resolution sort of faded away. • Now, another idea is on the table:…
LETTER from JASON HEWLETT Trump, Biden Turn Voters Off To the Editor: Being a somewhat conservative Christian man, I have always preferred Republican candidates over Democrats. I have voted or wanted to vote for Republicans because they have the same views that I do on major issues such as abortion, homosexuality and prayer in public schools, to name a few. But as I get older and more educated, and I begin to understand what’s most important in life, I realize…
Life In The Time Of COVID-19 The President & All His Men The good news is that the president seems to be doing OK medically. The bad news is that people around him are being put at risk because of his refusal not only not to restrict himself in any manner but, in fact, his flaunting his ability to do anything he wants, whenever he wants. So many of his senior staff, their staff, Secret Service, White House workers and…
IN MEMORIAM: JOHN KEMPE WINSLOW, 1947-1969 Ceremony Evokes Hartwick Boyhood Editor’s Note: K. Wayne Bunn recounted these boyhood memories at the rededication of Route 205 through Hartwick hamlet in honor of Marine Sgt. John Kempe Winslow Monday, Oct. 5. During the 1950s, I grew up two houses from Sgt. John Kempe Winslow, known back then as Johnny, on South Street in the hamlet of Hartwick. He was one year younger than I was, and one year below me in school,…
County Treasurer Ruffles Has Way Out Of Crunch At 194 Main St., Cooperstown, the seat of Otsego County government, there’s been wailing and gnashing of teeth since COVID-19 arrived six months ago. Revenues dried up. Fifty-nine jobs were chopped. The county board waited fearfully as state and federal mandarins declined to pay back money spent on mandated programs in 2019. The county reps pondered raising taxes above the 2 percent state cap, political hari kari. County Treasurer Allen Ruffles cut…
Barown Set Standard For County Municipalities With Teri Barown, the Village of Cooperstown got professional management right. In 11 years as village clerk, Barown earned the confidence of numerous village boards, of Democratic and Republican trustees alike. When the Katz Administration launched a $10 million redevelopment of the downtown – the Tillapaugh Administration continued it – it soon became clear grantsmanship was too time-consuming for an unpaid part-time board. With NYCOM’s blessing, Barown was promoted from clerk to administrator. A…
