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Editorials from Springville NY
Moving over is not an option
[photo1]It’s not a new law or a unique idea, but many motorists seem to think that New York state’s Move Over Law is just a suggestion. Quite the contrary: law enforcement throughout the United States and Canada is taking this real law very seriously.The move over initiative began in South Carolina in 1994 after a local paramedic was hit and injured by a passing driver while working at an accident site. After the paramedic was judged as being at fault in the incident, he took measures to enact the country’s first move over law. States in addition to South Carolina jumped on the safety bandwagon, swiftly putting through their own versions of move over laws to ensure the security of their law enforcement... more
Thursday May 17, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
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Living in a digital world: stay up-to-date with us!
[photo1]Oh, how times have changed. Remember when “neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail” kept the post office from delivering the latest news? Remember waiting by the mailbox or running to the post office for the newspaper, to find out what was going on right here in town and across the nation? Thanks to the internet, many of us can get the news instantly, right in the palm of our hands, no matter what the weather or time of day. For those of us in the newspaper business, the constant availability of information from these other arenas means we sometimes have to make some adjustments in the way we get it out to you, our readers. That may mean we have to change the way we report on events,... more
Thursday May 10, 2012 | Lizz Schumer
Rules are rules are rules - right? Wrong.
[photo1]Police officers are under a lot of scrutiny and their jobs have a great deal of stigma attached to them. They are doing their jobs and the world is a safer place, now that our law enforcement has evolved from cowboys on horseback meeting at high noon for a duel (not that it doesn’t sound like a good time). But the attitude of some police officers’ when they pull speeding drivers over, the “down time” many may appear to have when staking out speed traps or overseeing construction zones and the opportunity to race through red lights or stop signs give many laymen consternation.The other day, as I was driving through Springville, I passed a policeman driving while he was talking on his cell... more
Sunday May 6, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Editorial: What you have to say about it
The letters to the editor we print every week allow you, our readers, to give input on the events going on in the community, the articles we write and the topics that are important to you. Anyone who subscribes to our paper can read those and gain insight into their fellow readers’ thoughts.In addition, our website, www.springvillejournal.com, is also available for posting comments on by anyone willing to create a username and password. But those remarks are read only by those who visit the site and peruse the stories which have comments attached to them. Many of the online observations are humorous, pithy or insightful. Some are quirky and some are over the top, but regardless, we don’t want... more
Saturday April 28, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Good job voting the first time; time for another go-round
[photo1]More than four times as many people turned out to vote in the Springville Village trustee election held March 20 as voted in the last election. Seventy-six voters cast their ballots last time, but 329 voters in total showed up in March to let their voices be heard.I talked to Village Administrator Tim Horner the other day, and he told me that, on average, 30 percent of registered voters normally turn out during elections - and that’s a high number; a number Springville didn’t even reach. There are 2,230 registered voters in Springville. It’s such a positive thing that people around our town are taking their voting rights seriously and getting out there to cast their ballots, but we should... more
Thursday April 19, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Let’s talk about your kids
[photo1]Anyone who has not had his or her head hidden under a rock knows about the angst going on in the Springville-GI District regarding some proposed cuts to arts and music programs. I completely understand where you are coming from and I get how important curriculum and teachers are in a student’s life. I was educated at home, but I still received instruction via telecast from my teachers and was provided with the opportunity to personally communicate with them.It can be argued, and rightly so, that the education an individual student receives shapes his or her future and character. But only partially.Yes, give teachers kudos for the job they do with your children. But I think you, the parents... more
Sunday April 15, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Let’s talk about (but not during) executive session
I had the privilege of attending the New York Press Association’s annual spring convention and trade show in Saratoga Springs this past weekend and was able to, as my father often says, “skim the cream off” the brains of many brilliant writers, publishers and others in the newspaper industry. While I attended many extremely informative lectures covering topics ranging from photo editing to investigative journalism, one thing stood out to me that I just had to share with our readers: New York’s laws on executive sessions.Robert Freeman, Esq. the executive director of the Committee on Open Government, led a forum on open government and the Freedom of Information Law. Many people in our community... more
Thursday April 5, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Is it really just a number?
[photo1]It is happening all over the country. School boards are, voluntarily or involuntarily, reducing their number of elected members.Springville-GI Board of Education Member Jeremiah Kane recently asked the S-GI Board to approve an initiative to reduce the number of board seats from seven to five. Although the sitting board members voted down the request, a proposition will appear on the ballot during the upcoming May vote, asking voters to decide whether or not to keep their school board at its current size.This is a very hot topic in our district and I can understand the arguments presented by both sides. Some individuals said that going down to five board members would allow for the formation... more
Thursday March 29, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Do your health a favor and double-check the doctor
If there is anybody you should be able to trust, it’s your doctor, right? He or she knows you’re in pain, knows how to fix it and proceeds to do so in the swiftest and easiest way possible.My sister was having a bad day. She had spent the weekend in agony, having broken her foot (in four places, she later learned) and had been told that going to the emergency room would simply result in her being sent to a foot doctor - whose office was not open until Monday. When that time came, my brother-in-law whisked her off to the physician’s office to have a look-see. After she was initially told by a physician assistant that her foot was broken in three places (a diagnosis that was later changed to include... more
Thursday March 22, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Voting: your right and duty
I was in college taking oral communications for the professions, a class which I had anticipated being very arduous. This speech course was renowned for its tough teachers and difficult, 45-minute speeches that taxed even the most experienced public speakers.What I actually found OCP to be was a valuable class that walked me through real world scenarios in which I would have to eloquently orate what was expected of me in a clear and concise manner. With my classmates, I practiced interviews (both from the interviewee and interviewer perspectives), tours, informative speeches, impromptu lectures, company analyses and more. The coolest thing about this class was that, because we got to choose our... more
Thursday March 15, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Why is my money disappearing?
[photo1]A dollar is a dollar is a dollar.Except if you have a gift card. I was recently shocked to discover that a card I had in my possession no longer contained the amount written on it - even though I hadn’t spent a cent of it.How many times have you put a dollar bill away, in a bank, hidden under a mattress or stuffed in a pocket, and pulled it out weeks or months later to find that half or a third of it was missing? How long does it take for that dollar to turn into just 75 cents or a quarter?That’s silly. That doesn’t happen to regular money. Cold, hard cash keeps its face value, no matter what.So why do gift cards expire? I can see why coupons have an expiration date on them. With the... more
Thursday March 8, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Let the pedestrians pass!
The sound of car horns and the screech of tires herald a collective sigh from those in my office and the inevitable lamenting of those drivers who ignore the pedestrian crossing signs on the street in front of the “Journal”/“Pennysaver” office.We’ve talked about the above-mentioned problem in this space before, but the issue hasn’t gone away. The many crosswalks in Springville are still ignored by a lot of drivers who, purposely or not, drive through without checking for pedestrians standing at the corner waiting to cross.I suppose the individuals on foot could assert themselves more and just go, but who wants to do that, knowing that, at any minute, a driver who is distracted by a phone call... more
Thursday March 1, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Hail to our commander-in-chief
[photo1]Slipped in between Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day, Presidents’ Day is often either overlooked in the grand scheme of things, or is utilized by businesses to promote the latest car or style of furniture.But it’s really a bigger deal than we give it credit for.George Washington was born Feb. 22, 1732 and lived for 67 years. In his relatively short life, he commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolution before going on to be the first leader of the United States of America.In 1968, Congress decided that this man - and all of his successors - were important enough to deserve a unique holiday, acknowledging both Washington’s date of birth and the importance our leaders... more
Thursday February 23, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Please don’t give me cancer
I was driving on Route 219 going toward Hamburg the other day when I passed a vehicle containing a mom and dad with their two children in the back seat. The mother was smoking.If you are reading this, you know who you are and yes, I’m calling you out. The little boy, who couldn’t have been more than 5 years old, was sporting a Burger King crown and was happily waving to the cars passing by him, blissfully unaware of the toxic smoke he was breathing in. Smoke that science has proven is deadly. Smoke his mother needed to inhale so badly that she would risk her children’s health to do so.And then, as if to defy even the environment, the smoker flung her still-burning cigarette butt out the window... more
Thursday February 16, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Have you met your neighbor?
We have, and we’re loving it.Many of you have probably noticed a new feature we now run each week in the “Springville Journal:” our “Getting to Know your Neighbor.” We take pride in highlighting the businesses and organizations that make up our community and have really enjoyed meeting with the area’s small business owners, the true entrepreneurs.In the few months since we began this feature, I have already met so many new people and learned what really makes their businesses tick. I have been able to discover how local merchants got started and have found out firsthand how the businesses I visit every day actually work.Last week, I talked with Debby and Ted Adams (see page 2) at the Joylan Theater... more
Thursday February 9, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
This is why we do what we do
“Springville Journal” editorial policies are printed throughout the paper, not only to allow news and information to be published in a timely manner, but also to inform our readers why we change, edit and remove what we do from the items we print in our publication.For as long as journalism as we know it has been around, media outlets - whether they be print, radio or TV - have worked to follow journalism ethics and standards. Professional integrity is what our job is built on, and if we cross an ethical line, we have undermined the entire purpose of what we do.The media does not make the news; we report on it. In its code of ethics, the Society of Professional Journalists said that journalists... more
Thursday February 2, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
‘Thou shalt not steal’ vs. the First Amendment
I wanted to support it. I really did. The premise for Congress’s Stop Online Piracy Act, the protection of copyrighted material, sounded very positive. I don’t think that many people would say that they really think using others’ work without permission is OK.But the more I read about it, the more concerned I grew. Because the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act - designed to lay out enforcement measures on copyright infringement - had no influence over foreign sites like The Pirate Bay, the government (specifically U.S. Representative Lamar Smith of Texas) is seeking, through this bill (and its sister bill, the Project IP Act), to restrict access to sites that “host or facilitate the trading... more
Thursday January 26, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Is the customer always right?
There are 1.7 million of us: New York state Time Warner Cable customers who can’t watch our favorite sports teams play anymore - legally, at least.As I’ve said in this space before, I signed up for cable TV solely to watch Buffalo Sabres games. I shied away from satellite TV for more reasons than one, including the ongoing dispute between Madison Square Garden and Dish Network, which booted Dish Network sports fans off of their favorite channel more than a year ago. I was so proud of the fact that my poor, satellite-receiving friends could bunk out at my house on game nights and take advantage of my fabulous, high-definition sports channel.Until Jan. 1. I, along with thousands of other Time Warner... more
Thursday January 19, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Tell the DOT that we need our bridge back!
I hope you’ve taken the time to carefully read the article on pages one and two regarding the abrupt closing of the old Route 219 high level bridge.As a Springville resident myself, I understand how much our friendly neighborhood businesses rely on local as well as out-of-town patronage to stay afloat. And, as part of one of those locally-owned companies, I can safely say I know and have seen how quickly a business can go under without support.This is why it is so important for the New York State Department of Transportation to understand that we need to get the old Route 219 high level bridge fixed and back up and running as soon as possible. Eliminating that part of our local roadway - even... more
Thursday January 12, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
Are you crazy? Then go ahead and commit a crime
The insanity defense. The “Washington Post” defines it as “a plea that defendants are not guilty because they lacked the mental capacity to realize that they committed a wrong or appreciate why it was wrong.” The “Post” goes on to say that some states allow the insanity defense to be used when the individual on trial knew he or she was committing a crime but was unable to control his or her actions.Last week, Mike Plumadore of Indiana brutally murdered and dismembered his 9-year-old neighbor Aliahna Lemmon, who was partially deaf and blind. In the “old days,” the courts would have speedily convicted this murderer and either presented him with the death penalty or sentenced him to a life in prison,... more
Thursday January 5, 2012 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
How did you spend your 2011?
On behalf of all of us here at the “Springville Journal,” I want to thank you for the article submissions, letters to the editor, phone calls, emails, Christmas cards, subscriptions, Facebook likes, retweets, website comments, interviews, invitations and personal visits received during 2011. This year at the paper, we underwent many changes, and you, our readers, were very faithful and supportive - and we extend our gratitude to you all for that!This past March, I took over as editor, and I was very encouraged by the congratulations and offers of help expressed by so many of you. You were very welcoming and understanding in helping me get over the learning curve and making it a seamless transaction... more
Thursday December 29, 2011 | Jessie Owen, Journal editor
