Guest Column

Guest Column

Home rule laws aren't a radical idea

A lot of discussion and debate has occurred in our area lately over the issue of 'home rule' as it would apply to natural gas drilling. Let me offer some thoughts and my perspective on the issue and on the legislation I have sponsored (S. 5830) to enable local governments to treat natural gas drilling the way zoned communities treat any other commercial, industrial or residential use.

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Sustainable shouldn't be a dirty word

Sustainable Otsego has been in the news a lot lately. We have been vocal critics of hydrofracking for natural gas both locally and statewide, and we put together with the Democrats a winning slate of pro-sustainability, pro-home rule, anti-fracking candidates in the recent elections.
Fracking fears are based on facts

Some recent letters in The Daily Star and other local papers have implied that supporters of candidates for town and county offices who oppose gas drilling are fear-mongering, or that we can rely on the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to protect us.
Tea goes well with 'Occupy'

Otsego County supporters of the Tea Party will remember me. In 2009, we marched in outrage against the bi-partisan $800 billion taxpayer bailout of Wall Street.
City charter deserves support

Having served as mayors of the City of Oneonta, we write to urge the city’s voters to approve the proposed new city charter on Nov. 8.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Don't overlook potential of workers with disabilities

American jobs are dominating the national conversation right now, and with good reason. But amid the political debates and pundit analysis, there's one segment of the labor market that's going largely ignored: Workers with disabilities.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Coventry pipeline could benefit region

Last month, anti-drillers campaigned against a pipeline shipping Coventry gas to Bainbridge and Sidney customers. What's wrong with this picture?
Monday, August 1, 2011
'Gas Wars' entering its second act

Raise the curtain on the second act of Gas Wars. The SGEIS allows access to 85 percent of the shale gas beneath our state. The hardcore environmental lobby has lost to the science and the multi-state research of the three-year study by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. All that is left is the hoopla surrounding the 60-day comment period. The DEC then presents the final document to the governor for release. Then gas development begins in New York.
Make affordable birth control a priority

One of the biggest barriers to effective family planning may soon come tumbling down for millions of American women.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
SUNY Oneonta expansion will be bad for city

Recent plans by the State University College at Oneonta to expand its reach into the community have threatened to change the character of several neighborhoods here in the city.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Health: Take steps to protect your skin this summer

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The folly of job-training programs

America believes that the solution to every social and economic problem is job training. Outsourcing? Job training. Economically depressed neighborhoods? Job training. Impoverished single mothers? You guessed it.
'Change' is the byword for city, region, state

Regardless of the outlook at the federal level, and separate from the glimmer of promise for New York State, we're sure to see changes in the "who" and "how" of handling our local challenges in the year ahead.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Changes to city charter will be good for Oneonta

The Oneonta Charter Review Commission appreciated the opportunity to present the first full draft of the proposed Oneonta City Charter to the mayor and Common Council on June 7, as well as the questions from Council Members.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Health column: Take step to prevent and treat urinary tract infections in girls

By Dr. Linda M. Lukose How common are urinary tract infections in girls?
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Take steps to combat illegal dog fights

Dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states. However, because of loopholes in the laws in New York state, many dog fighters go free. This has made New York a haven for these vicious criminals. People come from other states and cities to rural areas like ours to take part in the criminal activity of dog fighting. Otsego and Delaware counties are close to the Pennsylvania border and within an hour of Binghamton and Albany, making us a central location.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Gas Wars: A play in three acts

Act One: The Prequel. Starts in 2008 and ends with the publication of the Supplemental Generic Impact Statement.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
How fracking made me an activist

My husband and I took a drive one Sunday from Brooklyn to Sharon Springs back in 1999. We were so moved by the tranquil, rural beauty of the land that we suddenly found ourselves buying an abandoned house on 80 acres and moving up here.
The Iron Curtain of ideas

A long time ago, and far, far away, I stood on the border of two distinct cultures. The "Wall" was a stone divide between two very different political ideas, but one people.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
HealthWorks helps keep workers safe on the job

As emergency response and local cleanup crews work to respond to accidents, road and property damage resulting from recent flooding, they are exposed to a range of serious hazards. Every year, public employees die during emergency response work, hit by cars, tree limbs, and even via electrocution from live power lines.