You may call the Owego Pennysaver Readers’ Column at (607) 687-2378 24-hours a day, or e-mail comments to readerscolumn@stny.rr.com. We reserve the right to revise or reject any message.
“I Want My OPD” folks should pool their money together and adequately fund OPD because the taxpayers are tapped out. Problem solved!
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I like reading this column, if for no other reason to appease my cynical side for a laugh where postings so often lean towards the “lazy” side of involvement in government and community and many make their opinion on half-truths, half-facts and just down right uninformed. The most pronounced seem to be the ones that start out with “Could someone please tell me” or something similar, instead of either picking up a phone or going online to the source website and asking their Mayor, Supervisors (Highway or Town), County Managers or District Reps directly on their issue of the moment. Recently posted, “Could someone please tell me the requirements for voting for the Owego / Apalachin school budget, residency, age, property owner, etc. Also, what is required to vote in the Owego Village election in March?” Is it here in this column that you’re relying on to receive the info you need to vote or are you a serious informed voter who would be better served by going to the source where you will be provided both info and resources to do it? If it’s easier for you to wait for your answer here, I would find it assuring to know that you are a ‘No Show’ at the polls as opposed to one who shows up uninformed on what it is your voting on.
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Shazaam! The Mayor’s got it now. Wants to build a new barn for the town and the Village public works at the Town Hall on Route 434. Now let’s improve on that idea, dissolve the village, build a new building, give the equipment to the town and let them take care of the whole thing! Better idea, somebody let us all know what you think.
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Why do we all keep on changing our clocks springing forward and falling backwards and nobody can come up with a reason why we do that and we just continue it.
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I would just like to suggest when we start saving money by getting rid of the OPD that we give that to our DPW department and start fixing these roads.
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If you walk your dog please be courteous to your neighbors and remove their business. If you can’t be courteous here is a reminder – it is a New York State law.
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I’d like to thank the Village Public Works for the wonderful job they’re doing trying to keep up with the snow and ice on the sidewalk on the Court Street Bridge this winter. I’m sure I and the other people who use this bridge appreciate their business. They’re really doing a great job!
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Climate change is happening. Our winters are colder, and our summers are hotter with more turbulent weather. A tornado warning used to be a rarity in the area but no more. It happens every summer. Winters are more frigid than previous years. Climate will change on its own to some extent but humans adding pollutants are accelerating the change and making it more drastic. You best thank your lucky stars for the tree huggers unless you would like to spend your life in a hazmat suit.
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Methane gas is created from decomposing matter found from mines, marshes and garbage dumps. It is also created in animals and humans. The population of the world keeps increasing. How much methane gas have you contributed?
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Do our local politicians really think they deserve praise for turning what was an area of high technical skill – IBM, GE, BAE, even EJ into a yogurt center for the state and turning it into an agricultural area? Isn’t that going backwards a little bit?
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I just came back from a walk around our village and I had to walk on the road because of lack of shoveling the snow off the sidewalks and dog poop. They don’t realize the snow melts and there’s the dog poop. People are just lazy. They can get somebody to take care of it or do it themselves. I don’t know about people these days.
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When will the people in Tioga County wake up and realize that they had transportation service that got you there. What a shock seeing an article in this paper about a meeting learning more about transportation in Tioga County. Why do people now have to learn about it? Maybe they need to go to the county legislation who thought there was no need for public transportation when they ended the service at the end of November due to “lack of funds”. Now Tioga County has found the money to move outside vendors in, Chemung Transit being one out of Elmira and get there from Syracuse into the county. My question is if we, the taxpayers, can pay outside vendors then why aren’t the county owned buses which have set idle at the county office building and the drivers that are now out of work, running for us who need them? This should be a wake up comment. Yes, we do need public transportation, so please get our buses back on the road along with the drivers we used to have.
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Normally everybody calls to complain about something. Today I’m calling to thank someone. John and Cheryl own Owego Pharmacy, their prices are very fair, and they do something that no other pharmacy does around here – they deliver. It is a great need and greatly appreciated! Thank you so much to John and Cheryl Gatto and the staff at Owego Pharmacy. They all take all good care of their clients. Thank you all so very much!
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I lived in the village my entire life and sadly the Owego Police Department has become nothing more than a bunch of glorified traffic cops. Personally, if I was in danger I would feel much more comfortable having the Sheriff’s Department help me. All the Owego Police Department does is police for profit by giving everyone they know tickets, and don’t be fooled. The meth house on Chestnut Street, the Sheriff’s Department tipped off the police department. So what good are they really?
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Regarding the Northern Tioga Neighbors Network provide volunteer drivers to take people in Tioga County in Richford, Berkshire and Newark Valley to doctor’s appointments and grocery shopping, they don’t have enough volunteer drivers. Several requests for a ride to doctor’s offices have gone unfilled. If anyone is out there with time on their hands please call and volunteer to be a driver for the Northern Tioga Neighbors Network, 657-2823.
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I’m still wondering why the supervisor and the board, maybe the superintendent even, can’t have two mechanics. For all the trucks and equipment we have, that’s way too much for one. They can’t tell me they’re saving money by shipping it out. That’s a crock of bull!
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I’m sick of paying extra taxes for Reno 911. Get rid of the village cops. They’re nothing but a joke.
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The flyer sent from the Village Public Safety Committee to the Owego taxpayers gives the options for police coverage and their cost, please note that in option 4, the math is incorrect by at least a half a million dollars – a half a million dollars short.
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Hilliary just said she never had relations with anyone else’s server or anyone else’s emails. She just happened to delete 30,000 of her emails because they were personal. Anyone who believes the former Secretary of State lies is indeed a certifiable ding-a-ling.
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I hope our village residents take the time to respond to the law enforcement study put out by the Owego Village Public Safety Committee. This election campaign has again generated much misinformation and fear mongering by a certain individual. I think it’s high time we look at the efforts and results in accomplishing a better Village of Owego. Tacking a catchy logo like Rebuild Owego just doesn’t cut it. Let’s see results! What’s in the plans for the future of Owego? Dictatorship has got to go if we expect to see any positive change. Thank you Steve May, Ann Lockwood, Karl Jantz and Mike Phelps for your excellent work in this study. Thanks again, Positive Change!
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Okay, so Cal Harris walks out of court, lots of smiles in the beginning, a woman on his arm and four children at his side; all of this investigation and I feel sorry for the poor officer being grilled for seven days. Are they really going to let this sucker go free because you can’t identify every single blood spot? Michele didn’t have that chance or choice! Let’s face it, come on! Money talks!
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It’s that time of year again when the yards and snow banks in the Village of Owego are filled with red and blue political promise. Additionally our mailboxes are stuffed with the very best political propaganda that money, ink and paper can make. I would suggest to my fellow village voters that we turn away from these items and instead try to remember the performance of these two political parties. The Rebuild Party brought us back from a major flood. Albeit, at a painfully slow pace. The Positive Change Party caused the resignation of many firefighters and is gradually removing our police department. For the sake of our personal safety I suggest voting the Rebuild Party. We definitely have some rebuilding to do after one year of Positive Change.
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Congratulations to the Party for Positive Change. Once again, you have shed the Village of Owego in a negative light. Positive change? Owego is on the map once again and embroiled in controversy over public safety.
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On Monday, March 16, Ruby Everson will be shaving her head for St. Baldrick’s. Stop by North Waverly Chapel anytime between 5 and 8 p.m. and enjoy a boiled ham and cabbage dinner. At 6:30 Ruby will be shaving her head. The dinner is free! Donations appreciated.
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The Village of Owego election is a no-brainer. If you want protection from the village police department, vote the Rebuild Owego Party. If you want the protection of other agencies then vote the Positive Change Party. It is that simple.
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How about this one? Wouldn’t it be really nice if Cracker Barrel opened a franchise here in Owego, over on Route 434 where the vacant lumberyard building is? There is easy-on, easy-off highway access, plenty of room for parking, and no place between Elmira and Binghamton to get a good sit-down meal visible from the highway like that spot is. It would generate some jobs and pull in some money coming into the area from all that traffic zipping through. Locals would enjoy it too! Plus, their gift shop offers items that would tie in nicely with what downtown Owego has to offer. There could be signs on both sides of the river saying, “Like what you see here? Find more, just over the Bridge!”
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The mailer regarding options for Owego policing is bogus. It is meaningless because the staffing levels are not the same. The only way it can be made valid is to get the estimated costs for having the same number of officers/deputies and supervisors in the options. Otherwise we cannot know what the equivalent cost would be with OPD versus the sheriff. As presented it is rigged to make it look like using the sheriff’s department is cheaper – which appears to be achieved only by reducing staffing levels as deputies earn more than OPD officers.
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Maybe we should follow the energy revolution happening south of the border: “The petroleum bill on an annual basis is a significant amount of our GDP, so by changing the energy matrix we’re generating power from our own resources and not being held ransom on the fluctuations of the market,” Duarte says. Renewables now generate nearly half of Nicaragua’s electricity, a figure that government officials predict could rise to 80 percent within a few years. That compares to just 13 percent in the United States. And it may be just the beginning. There is so much untapped energy in Nicaragua that it’s planning to export electricity to its Central American neighbors. [from an NPR report]
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New York OK’s growing industrial hemp: “This bill positions New York state to take advantage of what will certainly become a new industry,” Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo (D-Binghamton), the bill’s sponsor in the Assembly, said in a statement released to the media. “Not only will this allow us to begin researching potential uses for this lucrative crop, but also the potential for new manufacturing and markets across the state.” “This proposed pilot program would help New York State secure a strong position at the forefront of a future industry that can diversify and strengthen our agricultural industry, generate revenue and create jobs,” says Senator Tom O’Mara (R-Chemung County), the bill’s sponsor in the Senate.
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When there was a crime committed next to my house, I called the village police who dutifully took down the information and did absolutely nothing to solve the crime, yet the evidence, names, addresses were everywhere on discarded mail left as the criminal fled. Please disband the Owego Village police and work a plan with the sheriff’s department for village coverage.
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Great job organizing the recent job fair. We still need dependable public transportation so people can get back and forth to work, etc. The new C-tran bus makes limited stops and benefits few going to the Waverly and Sayre area.
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Today, Tuesday, March 10, in the mail I received a survey card regarding the OPD. While it was from the Village Public Safety Committee, the response was to be postaged and mailed to a private residence. If this were a legitimate survey it would seem like it should have a deadline and mailed to the village hall with a notice as to when the results would become known. I think this is a political gimmick.
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Did you know? Nearly 174,000 people work in the solar industry compared with close to 80,000 in the coal industry.
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Did you know that EPA’s National Fracking Study was halted by industry pressure?
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There are a variety of ways to get student loans partially forgiven. All have service conditions. Teachers can get up to $17,500 forgiven IF (the big if) they teach math or science for five consecutive years in a low-income middle or high school. They can get up to $5,000 if they teach for five consecutive years in an low-income elementary school or a subject other than math or science in a secondary school. So they don’t get all their loans forgiven, and there are conditions that probably don’t apply in our area. It’s not very hard to find this information via a search engine.
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Owego’s thrift store benefiting Happy Tails Animal Rescue continues to do well. We appreciate all our donors and their beautiful donations these past few months. We offer safe, indoor storage for the items and are looking for more. Donations are tax-deductible. Call 687-2433 for questions.
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I believe, we are in desperate need of a forensic audit of Tioga County, the Town of Owego and the Village of Owego, and all related county, town and village entities. Only then, would residents of Tioga County and the Village and Town of Owego, get an honest picture of where the dishonorable financial inequities lie within Tioga County, as well as, within the Town and Village of Owego. I can assure you, that the Owego Police Department and its relative operating budget, although a good distraction and a frequently used scapegoat, is not and very far from our real problems.”
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It’s clear to me that everybody in the Village of Owego wants to keep their Police Department. To save a ton of money, why isn’t anyone pursuing having the Emergency Squad bill for their services? I know that my medical insurance, for as long as I can remember, covers an ambulance ride. Why isn’t the Village collecting these funds? It shouldn’t be a free ride! It’s all on the taxpayers back. Why?
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How about the Village of Owego brokers a deal between the antique store on the corner of North Avenue and Main and the remodeled vacant storefront at the other end of the block, where the autoparts store used to be? The antique store moves to a nice new space with better parking and access for their customers, and better visibility to those sitting at the red light looking around. A vacant storefront gets utilized and our town looks more prosperous. That vacant space even has a second floor if the antique store is interested! Then the Village of Owego purchases and demolishes that one-story building where the antique currently sits, in order to widen the sharp 90-degree turn to 45-degree turn, so that tractor-trailers can make it through downtown Owego. Think that would work? Sounds like a WIN-WIN all around, and a great benefit to our whole community!
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Why are there $ 7,000 in corporate donations to an Owego election and $ 5,000 paid to a Broome County political consultant to run an election campaign? Are Broome County political hijinks creeping into Tioga County? Can’t local candidates run their own election campaign?
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“I don’t really care much what Hillary Clinton did with her State Department email. I care that she is a violent authoritarian warmonger who supports bombings, drones, wars of aggression, the DHS, TSA, failed drug war, NSA, Gitmo, torture, bank bonus bailouts, corporatism, violations of human rights abroad and at home.” Bruce Fenton [and lets not forget fracking]
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Daylight Savings Time has been debunked and is something meaningful and timely which would bring us out of 1916 to the 21st century. Doing Away with Day Light Savings Time is both economically and medically proven by modern research and practices to be shown where it makes sense. In Part: “Those of us who have lived with Daylight Saving Time our whole lives might feel disoriented without it. But the millions of Americans in Arizona, Hawaii, and territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have survived just fine without it. Not to mention the billions of people throughout Asia, Africa, and South America.” Contact our Congressman, Tom Reed, and request for a legislative bill to move this forward.
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I have to thank this column for making my week. I can’t get through it without laughing out loud. No, teachers’ student loans are not automatically forgiven. It took me many years to pay mine off in the 1980s, and both of my children are teachers and still paying theirs off. And, by the way, good teachers work many long hours on evenings and weekends and over the summer, so the idea that they only work 6 hours/day, 180 days/year is another story. If you have never bothered to volunteer in a school or do some research about how education has changed over the last 20 years, you have no idea what you are talking about in terms of budgets, salaries, workload, or stress. And before the tax creeps break out their poison pens for the next two months, I suggest they look at facts rather than lies and rumors.
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One question: Why do you suppose New York has to give away things to promote new business? It’s not because we have four seasons, some people thrive all year. It’s not because we don’t have workers. One of the biggest reasons? New York continues its status as a NON Right to Work state. Google right to work states. Is it a coincidence that most of the right to work states are BOOMING with new jobs? Why, then, would New York not go this way? It wouldn’t be because the politicians are beholden to the Union strangle hold and the politicians haven’t the spines to do what is right, would it? Ever wonder why the economy around Albany is super-thriving? Hmmm. Oh. Sorry, that was more than one question.
