‘Wabbit’ column off-base To the Editor: I applaud The Freeman’s Journal‘s endorsement (3/10/22) of the anti-bullying activities held recently at Cooperstown Central School. I further applaud your reporting of the remarks made by two students to the CCS Board of Education stating they received “no support from ‘a member of the administration’ when they reported incidents of racial intolerance and bullying,” and I trust you will continue to follow that story and its ramifications. What I cannot accept, then, is…
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‘Justice involved’ The proposed New York State licensing program for cannabis dispensaries (a.k.a. dope shops) gives priority to applicants that have a record of being “justice involved” – that is, persons convicted of drug charges, or the relatives of such persons, before the state dope sale law went into effect. What a great euphemism for a criminal! Fortunately, I qualify – having exported hashish from England to America in the 1970s. So where do I apply for a license to become the Dope…
‘Justice involved’ demands judicial discretion Editorial: March 17, 2022 Mjbizdaily.com – yes, there is a trade journal for all things marijuana – reports Otsego County as one of three north of New York City with more than 75 percent of its localities opting in to allowing retail pot dispensaries within their borders. And whether those jurisdictions opted in actively through an affirmative vote or passively – as Cooperstown’s Board of Trustees did when they completely took a walk on voting…
It’s not the Mohawk Valley, says Otego’s Buzz Hesse [Editor’s note: This piece comes from the careful pen of Buzz Hesse, Otego, New York, resident and an expert on New York’s geography and geology.] Did you know we now live in the Mohawk Valley Region? Traveling east on I-88 at Otego, New York exit 12 (mile marker 46), there is a relatively new New York State sign promoting the state’s tourism. At the bottom of the sign, in huge letters,…
News from the Noteworthy Jeff Katz, Executive Director, Community Foundation of Otsego County Community Foundation spotlights youth mental health Jeff Katz is the Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Otsego County. To learn more about the Community Foundation of Otsego County, and how you can help, visit https://cfotsego.org/, email at cfotsego.org, or call (607) 286-3935. It’s been two years since COVID turned society upside down. Our social lives have been disrupted in ways we could never imagine. We’ve…
Taking on the bullies Editorial: March 10, 2022 You have to start somewhere. We will admit to some heavy-duty skepticism when this newspaper received a press release last week announcing three days of anti-bullying assemblies and break-out sessions at Cooperstown Central School. It all sounded rather gimmicky – “a student empowerment and empathy activation team” calling itself “Sweethearts & Heroes” and co-founded by a Cooperstown High alum, Tom Murphy. Students participating in “Circle,” which, said the release, is “based…
Wabbit season [Editor’s note: Here’s this week’s opinion column from the Editor of The Freeman’s Journal / Hometown Oneonta, Ted Potrikus.] Elmer Fudd is out hunting, as he does, when Bugs Bunny informs him that it’s duck season. Daffy Duck isn’t having it; he lets Elmer know in no uncertain terms that it’s ‘wabbit season.’ Elmer, confused, can’t figure out which is correct. “Say, what’s the matter with you anyway?” Daffy demands of Elmer. “Don’t you know a wabbit when…
Some thoughts on Ukraine [Editor’s note: The author of this column, Dr. Richard Sternberg, is a retired Bassett Hospital orthopedic surgeon. While he has been sharing his professional perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic, this week, he offers a sobering view on Ukraine and its plight. Also a village trustee, he lives in Cooperstown.] For almost two years I have been writing a column on COVID-19. There is still a lot that can be written about it; I’ve read or reviewed…
A Hero of Women’s History [Editor’s note: This week’s “News from the Noteworthy” comes to us from Julie Dostal, executive director of The LEAF Council on Alcoholism and Addictions in Oneonta.] It is indeed rare air to end up among the ranks of those whose work continues to save lives long after leaving this world. While I tend to use the word “hero” sparingly in order to preserve its specialness, I use it purposefully in this column. Marty Mann is…
Masks, randomly Editorial: March 3, 2022 We read your comments on our Facebook and allotsego.com pages, we really do. After we posted the news on February 27 that Governor Kathy Hochul would lift the state’s indoor mask mandate for students and teachers in schools, one reader opined, “That mid-term variant.” Laughs come hard these days, what with masks and Ukraine and the unending number of days in February, but that one got a hearty chuckle. Cynical? You bet; in our…
