90 YEARS AGO: Denouncing the liquor traffic as “Public Enemy No. 1,” Mrs. Ella A. Boole, veteran dry crusader, called for its complete destruction and declared that not a single promise by repeal advocates has been kept. Looking back over twelve months of repeal, Mrs. Boole said it not only had “not changed the nature or effects of alcohol,” but had failed to live up to its financial and sociological promises. “Prohibition,” she predicted, “will return. How and when I…
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Opinion - Page 4
When Iron String Press received the first e-mail from a concerned citizen who said they knew nothing about the Village of Cooperstown’s plans to install a cantilevered viewing platform at the terminus of Pioneer Street, we were surprised. It was not news to us, because we had covered the village’s NY Forward $4.5 million grant process from beginning to end, and the viewing platform was one of a number of projects being considered for funding.…
So let’s test this claim with a close look at the last 50 years. We go all the way back to 1974, and the Presidential Administration of Gerald Ford. During the 50 years from then until now, Republicans occupied the Oval Office for 27 years, and Democrats for 23. The Republicans, and the total years of their presidencies were: Ford (3), Reagan (8), Bush I (4), Bush II (8), and Trump (4). The Democrats were Carter (4), Clinton (8), Obama…
If those who voted “no” are not related in any way to our hometown heroes of fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers, or others, then why should they care, and why should they have a say in a vote that has no bearing on them?…
Having lived at 20 Pioneer Street for over 24 years, we have never encountered a proposal that jeopardizes our way of life environmentally, economically, and in terms of community health—more than this one.…
As we live in this post-pandemic era with various forms of grief, loss, restrictions, societal upheaval, anxieties, shortages, financial strains, and other very real-life struggles, being grateful may seem audacious. It may look out of place or inappropriate to those who witness our gratitude in the midst of difficulties.…
160 YEARS AGO: Is the policy of the Administration “Peace” on a fair and liberal basis? The great majority of the people, North and South, earnestly desire Peace; but can the rulers at Washington and Richmond agree on terms? Peace on the basis of the “extermination of slavery” appears to be the program of the Administration. The abandonment of slavery was insisted on by Mr. Lincoln before the election; and now that the people have sustained him at the polls,…
70 YEARS AGO: Last week in New York, three youths were arrested on charges of being narcotic wholesalers for one-third of Harlem. Police estimate that the ring of three youths and their minor peddlers were realizing from $2,000 to $3,000 in profits daily. Marijuana comes from the Indian hemp plant—an inoffensive looking weed, which can be grown unnoticed in any state in the Union. The tremendous profit motive encourages get-rich-quick opportunists to trade in illicit drugs. One of the largest…
So, consider shopping small this Small Business Saturday—and the entire holiday season. This Saturday, take a stroll down Main Street and check out some of the more than 60 locally-owned businesses in Oneonta’s downtown. While you’re popping into the Artisans Guild and Maxwell’s, Freestyle Confections and Stoneonta, you can also enjoy complimentary hot cocoa from FOR-DO in its new spaces next to Tino’s Pizza from 2-5 p.m. …
For the sake of the next generation, school districts and local governments need to figure out how to keep teachers in classrooms. Improved salaries would help—teachers are underpaid. But even that wouldn’t entirely solve the problem. We need to turn schools back into places where teachers want to be. Many of these institutions are no longer havens for learning.…