http://www.lockportjournal.com en-us Copyright CNHI All Rights Reserved. 5 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:44:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_324014829.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_324014829.html Reform is top of mind for New York state’s new education commissioner, and that’s a good thing. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:19:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_323012225.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_323012225.html Recently, I volunteered my services to watch my 12-year-old grandson, Dominic. He had missed a couple days of school due to the flu. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:16:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_323011841.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_323011841.html Governments can get away with a lot before the public catches on, but once in a while they get a little too brazen. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:01:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_322010108.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_322010108.html I notice things when I am out and about. The wife and I went to Applebee’s last week, and while we were there, we got to hear the waiters and waitresses singing “Happy Birthday” to some poor, unsuspecting victim on the other side of the room. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:50:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_322005439.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_322005439.html The saga between the city and the fire union took an interesting twist this weekend when a resident, Michael Ulrich, took it upon himself to research how other cities manage fire and ambulance operations and keep costs down Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:13:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_320221507.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_320221507.html Typically, my column is a rant. I'm upset or complaining about something. Frankly, people seem to like it that way. I mean, who wants to read a column about how awesome everything is? Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:09:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_320221042.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_320221042.html The rush to drill for natural gas in New York seems to be slowing a bit. We’re encouraged — guardedly so — by the Department of Environmental Conservation’s decision to give the public an extra month to weigh in on the state’s proposed new gas drilling rules. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:59:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_319010011.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_319010011.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:38:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_319003844.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_319003844.html Life sure has revealed many of its lessons over the past few months. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I believe “everything” happens for a reason. That puts way too much focus on the small stuff. Yet some things that seem like small incidental occurrences easily become a learning experience or significant event. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:37:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_319003758.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_319003758.html The macroeconomists who look at the big picture tell us that the recession is technically over. That declaration is made possible by the news that the economy expanded at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter of 2009, after steadily contracting each month for a year. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:36:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_319003647.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_319003647.html With all of the “Extreme Makeover — Home Edition” talk these past few weeks, I got to thinking about some of the home-improvement and home-selling shows that I watch on HGTV or TLC. Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:00:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_318030009.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_318030009.html The construction of the Erie Canal between Lockport and Lake Erie was part of the western section of the canal, which contained two very challenging segments for the canal engineers. Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:56:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_318025730.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_318025730.html House passage last Saturday of a health care reform bill was hailed (and condemned) as a major legislative event. But the reality is something far less dramatic. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:55:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_317005821.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_317005821.html Week after week, the state Senate returns to the headlines — and rarely in a small or insignificant way. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:50:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_317005151.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/opinion/local_story_317005151.html Everywhere there is a homeless population, it is likely some of the homeless are veterans.