Readers’ Column for the week of March 21, 2026

You may call The Owego Pennysaver Readers’ Column at (607) 687-2434, extension 2, 24-hours a day, or email comments to ReadersOP@gmail.com. We reserve the right to revise or reject any messages. Please limit your comments to 100 words or fewer.

You know, when we get this storm of ice and snow that they’ve been talking about for three days, it’s nice to see that the county trucks haven’t bothered to get out the plow or salt at all on Day Hollow Road. It’s not like we don’t have the largest employer in the county right here on the road. It would be nice to be able to get to work.

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To the person that called in about the dogs in Owego, call the sheriff’s department, they need an address before they can do anything. And if possible, take pictures and put them all over Facebook and humiliate the crap out of those people that have dogs in kennels like that. Just embarrass the hell out of them. But do call the sheriff’s department; they might do something. They had starving horses on Glenmary Drive that were given back to the guy, but they didn’t do anything about it. So maybe you’ll get lucky. Good luck, and thank you for reporting it.

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I just came back from a production of Mamma Mia in Candor and I just want to say kudos to all of the orchestra and the staff that put it on and that monitored all of the production people. And of course, all those that were in the production, it was just fabulous, totally outstanding! I was dancing the whole time, so it was just wonderful and it was just a blessed event. So I just called to thank everyone that helped support and to put it on. 

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Come on, Owego and Apalachin area, come alive! We are a dying area. I counted over 20 places empty in Owego, some for years! From 17C Grand Union, hardware store, Tony’s Restaurant, O’Hara’s, the video store next to Mario’s, Ernesto’s, Hand of Man, Tioga Trails, Metro’s, Rossi’s Pizza, soon the Community Shop, the liquor store, the Apalachin Pharmacy, Ransom Steele Tavern, so sad! Pizza Hut has been an eyesore for years. Put in a Chik Fil A. It would do great there. Keep encouraging businesses! The Art Park is not helping business at all. Please keep our area going!

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It was reported that Waverly received a lot of tax money from the sales of legal marijuana, stating that Tioga County’s only legal dispensary is in Waverly. If that’s the case, why are the dispensaries selling, especially in Candor, on the corner of 96 and 96B? 

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Another one for you not to print. What’s wrong with people? You have kids. Kids grow up, and the oldest one takes advantage of the parent, takes away property that the parent owns, sells it, makes a lot of money, and the parent gets nothing! I don’t know what’s wrong with kids. You try to do the best you can, and they end up screwing you over.  

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I would like to address the Village of Waverly’s last board meeting with a number of businesspeople who showed up to complain about the Hazy Daze cannabis owner and operator. Many business owners complained that the operator of the business has made it very hard for everyday businesses to operate normally. However, if this store is state-licensed, it needs to be contacted immediately by the state licensing board. File a formal complaint with the state, contact Governor Hochul’s office; she’s the one who legalized all this, and see what that Department of Licensing in Albany can do for these businesses. 

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I just want to give a quick shout-out to the Candor Highway Department for the work they’re doing on Anderson Hill with their big old brush hog on the arm of the tractor. I love it; I absolutely love it. I wish they would do it to all the roads. A big shout-out to the Town of Candor Highway. Thank you, and it’s only March! Very good job.

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I wondered what they were going to do about Devil’s Elbow. That’s caving in more; it’s going to be down over the bank on the railroad tracks pretty soon. Seems like somebody should get after them to tear that down before something bad happens. Also, I agree with this week’s reader who called in about getting a department store in Owego to fill up these empty buildings. I’m elderly, and I don’t like driving to Vestal or wandering far away. I wish we could have something local here. It would be nice to have a department store back, and not Walmart.

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New York needs to be a little tougher, like some other states. So many people are driving around without a license and with illegal plates. If the police catch them, they should immediately take the vehicle. You know they can; that’s it. I don’t know whom you call, but there are too many people out there who are illegally driving, and they need to be punished. If they have guns in there, they should go to the cops to be sold or destroyed. I don’t know, but something needs to be done.

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Is there anyone out there who can tell me where I can buy a real Timex watch? The ones you wind up! Not the battery-operated trash. Not that imitation Japanese, China made garbage. I mean a real wind-up Timex watch. Please, somebody put it in the paper, let me know where you can honestly by a true Timex watch.

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I’m just calling about the village clerk’s office in Owego. When is the arrogance and nastiness going to stop down there? They certainly need a little less or be taken to charm school or get rid of them. It’s terrible the way they treat people, and I’m calling on behalf of seven or eight people who were talking about this over the weekend. Somebody needs to counsel those people or get rid of them.

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Regarding recent comments about NY’s CLCPA, research will reveal that Governor Hochul was not the one who signed this act into law in 2019, and that the target deadlines are still at least four years off. Researching NYSERDA’s estimated increased costs for household energy and gasoline will show that other groups dispute these estimates as well as how broadly households will be impacted. Research shows that Hochul is aware of the high energy costs and is requesting in the upcoming budget that the CLCPA be amended to mitigate further increases. This isn’t settled yet.

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Bible Verse: Ecclesiastes 10:2 – The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool inclines to the left.

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I heard one of the DPW workers in the Village of Newark Valley is retiring. Good luck to him! Instead of hiring another full-time employee, don’t you think the Village could get by with a part-time employee and pay per diem? All that’s needed is help with garbage, mowing, and plowing. Sure would save the taxpayers the expense of another full-time employee and all costs associated with the hire. Why do we have three full-time office employees when we are closed from 1:30 to 2:30 Monday through Thursday and closed by noon on Friday? 

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To the man who dumped your trash on our property on Gage Road. You were seen on camera dumping adult diapers and bathroom trash on the ground and in the stream. Don’t come back. White 4-door GMC Chevy truck. Sheriff will be called.

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Just wanting to give a heads up on an Adult Education class that will be started in the Candor High School. Stay tuned for the dates and times. Anyone interested can call the Adult Education Office at (607) 273-4095.

 

National Political Viewpoints

Since Trump can’t seem to find any allies to fight his and Netanyahu’s war, and he’s very excited to put boots on the ground or at least Hegseth and Miller are, I have the perfect solution: the ICE agents! They’re all suited up; they’ve been dying to get into a fight, so let them go at it. Thank you.

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Trump is a domestic terrorist.

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Why does Trump love Russia and hate America?

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What happened to Trump? We’ve gone daily from him saying the war is over, we put Iran away to now sending more troops over. Meanwhile, Americans are suffering from food, energy, and fertilizer shortages for farmers; everything we buy is going downhill. That is not what he promised. People now are going to have to choose soon between eating or buying gas. This is a crisis; prices are going out of sight! Why are Americans paying for the price of Trump’s war? It’s hurting us so badly. Tariffs are affecting us as well.

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Epstein, Epstein, Epstein, do you remember that the elephant never forgets? And the elephant is the G. O. P symbol.

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Chuck Schumer, these terrorist plots and threats are all on your shoulders; open Homeland Security back up.

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Chuck Schumer, this government shutdown is all on your shoulders, and you have been in politics for way too long. Please resign from politics completely.

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As the Democrats show their true colors once again, they are causing a partial shutdown of our government, which affects many agencies under Homeland Security. This compromises the security and safety of our nation. I don’t understand how people can support the Democratic Party when they seem to put politics and illegal immigrants before they put us citizens and the safety of our nation.

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The Democratic Party is not a political party; it is a foreign-controlled domestic terrorist organization masquerading as a political party to bring down America. — Studebaker Hawk 

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Wrong way USA – the country is lost to a dystopian regime. Fools and jackals are now in charge, running amok throughout the land. “All that glitters is not gold.” Blinding us all to a vulgar, morally bankrupt administration. The challenge? Laying down the law – the people’s law, democratically. (Practice compassion; realize wisdom.)

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Always putting himself first, even in front of dead soldiers, Trump wore one of the hats he peddles for $55 to the Dignified Transfer on March 7, of the first six U.S. soldiers killed during his war with Iran. Fox News knows that was undignified of Trump. So Fox News aired an old tape from a 2025 ceremony showing Trump without a hat. Fox News got caught and had to apologize to us, the American citizens; check online. Fox News lies. Trump lies. So soldiers and innocents die. How are you willing to change the course of this mess?

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Has Representative Langworthy yet called for an end to Trump’s war against Iran? No. Has Rep. Langworthy yet called to reel in ICE, or fund the TSA workers? No. America is at War because of Trump, Langworthy, and all the Republican Congressmen! The Republicans are funding Trump’s destruction of our country, stripping us of our civil and personal dignities while supporting Putin and his oil. Start raising chickens while Russia takes the gold, just like Trump called for during his campaign.

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Trump started a war against Iran, which closed the shipping channels for us to now get oil and fertilizer from the Middle East. Russia’s leader, Putin, is killing American soldiers by strategically helping Iran. Yet Trump recently lifted sanctions for Putin to make billions by selling his oil to us, while costing the U.S. a billion per day for the war! Whose side is Trump on? Remember that Trump wouldn’t allow an official note-taker in meetings with Putin in Alaska or at other times.

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Another aphorism from my childhood: my mother said, countering perceived bad influences, “If (so and so) told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?” Insert Trump’s name as an example.

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Let’s see Dumbo Donald talk about how HE lowered gas prices now.

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Here’s some good news: the cost of renouncing your American citizenship has dropped from $2,350 to $450.

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Liberals are so upset with Trump, you would think he stole 50% of the Haitian relief fund, sold 20% of our uranium to Russia, deleted 33,000 emails, and let innocent Americans die in Benghazi. — Mama Gump 

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“You could put everything in that address that was true and tattoo it to the genitalia of a flea and still have room for the Gettysburg Address.” [David Rothkopf on Trump’s SOTU address]

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That letter to the editor this week claiming that Trump is anointed by God is borderline blasphemous. I’m quite certain that a benevolent God isn’t cheering on the obliteration of an Iranian elementary school full of children. You think God overlooks Trump’s extremely questionable history with Jeffrey Epstein? Overlooks the litany of jaw-dropping, lascivious things that Trump has said about his own daughter? Overlooks his guilty verdict in the E Jean Carroll case? Overlooks the Access Hollywood tape? I’m completely baffled that someone can be inspired to submit a letter like this with their name attached.

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“Well, guys, we’re now on day 12 of the war in Iran, and I read that the Trump administration has started to panic about the rising price of oil. Yep, apparently, Trump is so worried that he can barely sleep through his meetings.” — Jimmy Fallon

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Is anyone else sick and tired of Mama Gump spewing right-wing lies and conspiracy theories every week? She seems to think she is clever or funny, but in fact, repeating lies and misinformation isn’t funny at all. It’s just ignorant.

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The moral of the story is that if you don’t want to be invaded by the United States, get yourself some nuclear weapons.

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Someone mentioned the low taxes in Florida. They are correct, but anyone considering a move to Florida should take a good look at Florida insurance rates. The average Florida car insurance premium is $3,100 to $3,800 per year. The average Florida homeowner’s insurance premium is $5,800 for a $300,000 home, which does NOT include flood insurance. All Florida homeowners will be REQUIRED to obtain flood insurance starting in 2027 whether or not the home is in a flood prone area. Flood insurance in a flood-prone area can be an additional $4,000 per year.

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After all of Trump’s ranting that he is focused on deporting all the violent illegal aliens, instead, they have been grabbing anyone they could get their hands on, even if they are U.S. citizens; now he says only violent criminals will be deported. So, why stop with only illegal aliens and not deport all violent criminals?

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If DOGE really wanted to address waste, fraud, and abuse, it would have looked at the Department of Defense, which spent $93.4 billion on grants and contracts in September 2025 alone, with nearly half of that money spent in the final five days of the fiscal year! The Pentagon spent $6.9 million on lobster tail, $2 million on Alaskan king crab, $15.1 million on ribeye steak, $60,000 for Herman Miller recliners, and the pièce de résistance was a $98,000 Steinway piano for the Air Force chief of staff’s home.

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Mr. Trump said, “If you re-elect him, you’ll see new jobs like you’ve never seen before.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 181,000 jobs were added in all of 2025, or about 15,000/ month. In Biden’s last year, 2024, a total of 1.5 million jobs were added, or about 122,000/month. He couldn’t be fibbing to us, could he?

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“Aarian Marshall of Wired reports that half of the ships that usually travel through the Strait of Hormuz carry oil, but the other half carry raw materials that are made into fertilizer, plastics, precision instruments, machinery, electrical parts, and electronic components, all of which could increase in price.” — Heather Cox Richardson, March 11, 2026

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“Under God” wasn’t originally in our Pledge of Allegiance. Those words were added in the 1950s. More importantly, the Constitution clearly states that we must separate Church and State. The founding fathers felt strongly that this nation must never become a theocracy, nor name one religion better than another. Donald Trump is quite possibly the most UN-Godly man to ever sit in the White House. His list of sins is long. I was born into a conservative Christian home, and my family will never understand how God-loving people have fallen for that lying, cheating, stealing, un-Christian man.