When New York initiated bail reform in 2020, it was designed to reduce inequities in the legal system. Bail is supposed to ensure that people charged with a crime are motivated to appear at future …
When we elect people to represent us on legislative bodies — U.S. Congress, the state Senate and Assembly, the county Legislature or village or town boards — we expect them to vote in the …
When the Homer Fire Department’s Insurance Services Office rating was elevated from a 4 to a 3, the change reflected hard work and dedication on the part of firefighters to serve and protect …
The scenario keeps playing out in the imagination: An 11-year-old kid. A hot summer day. A cross-town trek with a towel and a couple of friends to splash at Wickwire Pool in Cortland. Only to be …
The town of Cortlandville is considering creating a town manager position to oversee the day-to-day business of the town. While we happily encourage the professional management of taxpayer-funded …
After nearly four years of struggling with COVID-19, we have seen the development of vaccines and improved treatment for those who contract the virus, but the threat has continued. In addition, …
People in the greater Cortland area care about their neighbors. When people face difficult challenges — addiction, homelessness, domestic abuse — the community steps up and makes good …
We don’t brag about ourselves very often. We suppose it comes from years of practice in removing our perspective from the news stories we write. Make no mistake — we’re very proud …
Five greater Cortland area school districts will see less state-funded foundation aid in the Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget for the coming year. The other five will see increases, but not …
Making the homeless people sheltering at the Cortland Free Library invisible would be so, so easy. And for far too many Cortland residents, it would be desirable. David Thompson has shown we …
Whether their troubles are minor or significant, children who have mental health issues must be identified and helped Cortland Area Communities That Care received a $600,000 federal grant to …
We’ve always been a little skeptical of the community service requirements some high schools have before a student graduates. The tasks — maybe some volunteer work at a library, or feeding …
The math is pretty straightforward: If each of Cortland County’s 18,514 households spends just $25 on locally sourced food each week, they would inject more than $24 million into the county’s …
HELP WANTED: Adults with commercial drivers license. Must be able to pass drug and alcohol tests. Part-time, seasonal. Work hours: early mornings, mid afternoons, occasional evenings. Must be …
HELP WANTED: Adults with commercial drivers license. Must be able to pass drug and alcohol tests. Part-time, seasonal. Work hours: early mornings, mid afternoons, occasional evenings. Must be …
At the heart of distributing sales tax revenue among Cortland County, the city of Cortland and all the other towns and villages is “fairness.” Of course, the county, the city and the towns …
It’s not often that we report on the opening of a brand new library. The Cortland Standard has happily donated a few of our old newspaper coinboxes — the kind where you deposit the cost of a …
We learned last week that another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the expansion of solar power generation in New York. If the state wants the expansion to get back on track, it’s going …
We learned last week that another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the expansion of solar power generation in New York. If the state wants the expansion to get back on track, it’s going to …
We have mixed feelings about the city of Cortland’s push toward banning the sale of bongs and other pipes — predominantly used for smoking cannabis — from certain areas of the city. …
The Little White Church that has stood on the northern edge of the Homer Village Green for 191 year, is showing its age. The paint is pealing; the foundation is crumbling and don’t even try to …
We commend the state for its continuing efforts to further refine the laws and regulations surrounding New York’s still-nascent legal marijuana industry. Whether the latest initiatives from the …
We all want to feel accepted and loved. But that’s not always easy when others consider us different in some way. Our LGBTQ+ neighbors can be left out or scorned by some people because they …
We can imagine a conversation like this all across Cortland County — mostly because we had this last week: Honey, is this recyclable? Is it crunchy? I don’t want to eat it, I want to …
A new year brings new hope for making personal and professional progress. That is true of the Cortland County Legislature, which had its annual organizational meeting Jan. 3. The legislators …
