NEW HAVEN, Conn. — I’m not sure there’s much fire beneath the smoky ethical allegations swirling around U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who stands accused of accepting lavish gifts from a wealthy friend. Critics say Justice Neil M. Gorsuch shouldn’t have done a real estate deal w… Read More ⇒Stephen L. Carter: Demand ethics from Congress, too, not only the Supreme Court
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE — Journalism used to be about getting the truth out there, but recently we were told it shouldn’t happen if Americans could be swayed the wrong way by seeing and hearing it. Read More ⇒Jay Ambrose: Please don’t hide Trump’s faults
WATERTOWN — Honoring cultural legends turns problematic when malicious aspects of their characters come to light. Read More ⇒Jerry Moore: Jim Brown’s disturbing legacy
FORT WORTH, Texas (Tribune News Service) — I am always amazed when, in the aftermath of a mass shooting such as the tragedy in Allen, Texas, both political parties expect their overly simplistic explanations to be taken seriously, their anemic policy proposals accepted as dependable solutions. Read More ⇒Cynthia M. Allen: Yes, it’s guns. Yes, it’s mental health. It’s everything. And government can’t fix it
DALLAS (Tribune News Service) — Could the Republicans blow another chance to win Senate control? Read More ⇒Carl P. Leubsdorf: Will Republicans blow it again?
LONDON — In some ways, the United Kingdom’s doctor shortage resembles the worldwide crunch in health care. Read More ⇒Therese Raphael: How the UK became a terrible place to be a doctor
An announcer on a morning game show began his opening greetings and welcome with the phrase, “Let’s make this a great day!” Read More ⇒Over Coffee with Ellen: Let’s acknowledge that it feels good to have a great day in the north country!
LOS ANGELES (Tribune News Service) — Two television events in the last 10 days — a raucous Donald Trump rally billed as a CNN town hall and a far more sedate interview with President Joe Biden on MSNBC — offer a sobering preview of the 2024 presidential campaign. Read More ⇒Doyle McManus: A 2024 Biden-Trump election would be a contest of unpopularity
LONDON — The past few years haven’t been the greatest of times for U.K./China relations, even if Rishi Sunak’s government is now making tentative efforts at rapprochement. Read More ⇒Matthew Brooker: London’s big China show treads on tricky ground
WATERTOWN — Having learned how to operate a vehicle on the streets of Chicago, drivers rarely engage in behavior that surprises me. Read More ⇒Jerry Moore: Reckless driving isn’t worth the trouble it causes
My first double graduation day was in 2018. I attended the SUNY Canton graduation in the morning and then rushed to Potsdam to attend Clarkson University’s graduation in the afternoon. Read More ⇒One day, two graduations
It’s the colors that stay with me. The azure North Country sky. The solid tan of a long-unused logging road. The greys of certain birds, and of rock outcrops. The white of paper birches; the black of bloodthirsty black flies. The rich dark green of conifers, the amber of last fall’s white pi… Read More ⇒An Occasional Word: Get out!
NEW YORK — Election officials used to toil in relative obscurity. Poll workers put in long, intense hours around voting time, filling low-paid bureaucratic roles that were poorly understood by the public they served. Read More ⇒Trey Grayson: We need poll workers. And they need protection.
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE — One of Joe Biden’s greatest failings as president of the United States has been to facilitate several times more illegal immigrants crossing the Southern border than Donald Trump did. Read More ⇒Jay Ambrose: Title 42’s demise may help solve border issues
On a recent Sunday, I turned to go to my destination on Main Street. Read More ⇒Hometown Heroes get honors they deserve
DALLAS (Tribune News Service) — Over the past four decades, nationally televised debates have become an integral part of presidential elections — and sometimes the crucial factor in determining the outcome. Read More ⇒Carl P. Leubsdorf: Presidential debates in jeopardy
WATERTOWN — The public education system in the United States is not an example of American exceptionalism. Read More ⇒Jerry Moore: State must permit more school choice for families
FORT WORTH, Texas (Tribune News Service) — If you’re anything like me, you’ve done your best to blot out the COVID era from your memory. Read More ⇒Cynthia M. Allen: COVID policies failed our kids and schools. Can we learn from it, rebuild trust?
LOS ANGELES (Tribune News Service) — It’s time to start worrying about the debt ceiling. Read More ⇒Doyle McManus: With just weeks left to strike a deal, it’s time to worry about the debt ceiling
NEW YORK — The long-held assumption about Uber has been that it would only make real money via one of two routes. Read More ⇒Dave Lee: Uber really needs Lyft to stay in the ride-share race
How grateful I am for connections made and friendships shared — friends gained through contacts made and especially through this column. Read More ⇒Over Coffee with Ellen: Connecting with others makes life so very joyful
NEW YORK — There are excellent reasons to admit Ukraine into NATO. Read More ⇒Andreas Kluth: Ukraine in NATO: The heart says yes, the head no
Each question I heard at Saturday’s Battle of the Books made me want to read the book. Read More ⇒Is this the summer of the page?
WATERTOWN — The pernicious attempt to infantilize young adulthood that’s persisted for decades in this country has fortunately encountered another obstacle. Read More ⇒Jerry Moore: Higher education should be reserved for mature minds
NEW YORK — Technology companies are falling over themselves to promote expertise in generative AI, the hot new technology that churns out text and images as well as humans can. But few are clamoring for the title of “safest AI firm.” Read More ⇒Parmy Olson: Lessons from Isaac Asimov on taming AI
WATERTOWN — Earlier this year, proponents of banning gas stoves quickly declared that the federal government is not coming to take your gas stoves. Read More ⇒Jerry Moore: Is anxiety over gas stoves justified?
News reports this past week have been filled with stories about the upcoming coronation on Saturday of King Charles. Read More ⇒Some of remember when king’s mum was crowned
NEW YORK — During the past decade, high real estate costs in and around the District of Columbia and pressure to reduce government spending inspired a campaign to decrease the amount of federal office space. Read More ⇒Justin Fox: Federal workers don’t need to go back to the office
With apologies to William Shakespeare, who probably won’t mind because he died 407 years ago this month, that is the question when it comes to knowing how to spell the name of the river that flows through Canton. Read More ⇒An Occasional Word: To “e” or not to “e”?
Our nation’s highest court — the Supreme Court — should live by the highest ethical standards. Read More ⇒Stephen Spaulding (point): The Supreme Court should not be its own referee
Calls for a “formal” or “enforceable” code of ethics for the U.S. Supreme Court imply that no ethics rules or guidelines already exist, that Congress has the authority to impose such a code and that a genuine concern about ethics is the real motivation. None of these is true. Read More ⇒Thomas Jipping (counterpoint): Judicial decisions, not judicial ethics, are the real target
OGDENSBURG — As I stated twice at Monday’s City meeting, I am calling on the City Council to reject the recent property revaluation. I have two primary reasons for this. Read More ⇒John Rishe: Ogdensburg City Council should reject revaluation
JERUSALEM — Here’s one of the most maddening aspects of the mindless leak of hundreds of classified documents by a group of young men and boys playing online war games: It may help Russia to emerge the winner in Ukraine unless the United States takes critical action to prevent that — right now. Read More ⇒Trudy Rubin: The Pentagon documents leak will embolden Putin as he tries to outlast Ukraine
WATERTOWN — A tragic story tailor-made for news media saturation has somehow failed to gain traction. Read More ⇒Jerry Moore: Ignoring some crime exposes soft bigotry of low expectations
Technology makes our lives so much easier and has the amazing ability of being able to connect us with people from around the world. Read More ⇒Over Coffee with Ellen: Traditional ways of communicating find new avenues of expression
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut — I’m not surprised that Fox News settled the Dominion defamation lawsuit, though like everyone else I’m taken aback by the amount. Read More ⇒Stephen L. Carter: Fox/Dominion settlement shows the costs of pandering to the crowd
As the leading advocate for Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division in the U.S. House of Representatives, I am proud to announce that my years of advocacy have secured more support for an East Coast missile defense site to be built at Fort Drum. Read More ⇒U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik: Fort Drum gains more support to be East Coast missile defense facility
WATERTOWN — Two New York jurists over the past four months have exposed the serious problems with the state’s red flag law. Read More ⇒Jerry Moore: Red flag law raises red flags
I met with the staff of the Racguette this week. The Racquette is the student newspaper at SUNY Potsdam. Read More ⇒Where are our next journalists?
NEW YORK — For President Joe Biden, the four-day visit to Ireland that started April 12 offered an opportunity to celebrate his roots and bask in the reflected glory of a landmark peace agreement that a former U.S. president and an ex-senator, both members of his Democratic Party, played key… Read More ⇒Matthew Brooker: Biden’s Irish celebration has an unsung hero
A beautiful colored photo of a dandelion in full bloom in last week’s Courier Observer caught my eye. When I read in the caption that a dandelion might provide delicious coffee, I knew this was an article that must be read. Read More ⇒Over Coffee with Ellen: Dandelions better in vase of water than as a cup of coffee
NEW YORK — There are a lot of dramatic and profound questions about AI, but some of the most important ones are mundane. For instance: Should AI agents, when they perform productive work, be required to pay taxes? Read More ⇒Tyler Cowen: The taxman will eventually come for AI, too
DALLAS (Tribune News Service) — Throughout modern American history, opponents of the two major parties have sought to shake up the political system by creating so-called third parties to give voters an alternative to the Democrats and Republicans. Read More ⇒Carl P. Leubsdorf: A spoiler alert for the 2024 presidential race
FORT WORTH (Tribune News Service) — If you feel like drag queens are ubiquitous these days, you aren’t wrong. Read More ⇒Cynthia M. Allen: Can a college cancel a drag performance on the grounds that it’s demeaning to women?
NEW YORK — 7,697 dead or missing. Read More ⇒Eduardo Porter: Joe Biden should worry about more dead migrants
BLACK RIVER — Unfortunately, due to single-party mismanagement, the budget went past its April 1 deadline again this year. The budget is being held up by policy issues that far-left Democrats can’t agree on. Read More ⇒State Assemblyman Kenneth D. Blankenbush: The Assembly’s ‘donkey’ in the one-house budget
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE — One of the things former President Donald Trump has had going for him in his confused immersion in the world of politics is that his opponents are infallibly worse than he is. Read More ⇒Jay Ambrose: Trump prosecutor above the law?
WATERTOWN — Some restaurants place an emphasis on their pancakes during New York state’s annual Maple Weekend. Read More ⇒Jerry Moore: Looking for great pancakes? Bring cash and an appetite
I wrote a song using artificial intelligence. Read More ⇒Did I write a song?
In the days of old, many tales were told Read More ⇒An Occasional Word: Songs for (and of) the ages
