According to recent legal filings, Ursuline coaches claim ignorance of hazing, administrators claim they followed policy, and the Diocese claims innocence of everything. What about the video mentioned in the lawsuits? What about past bad acts of the coaches? What about previous accusations of hazing at Ursuline? What is the school policy for students who are involved in hazing? Stop it from recurring by firing the three coaches and the current administrators and abolishing the football program.

— Warren

Coffee is up 66%. My health insurance premiums just doubled even after reducing benefits. My 2026 car insurance is going up $300. My homeowner’s insurance is going up $200. We quit eating beef because of the outrageous increase in its price. After 10 years of television prices trending down 10%, they jumped 3.1%. Even bananas are up 5.4% this year. These increases weren’t caused by a worldwide pandemic. They were caused by a one-man tariff war. Are we great yet?

— Cortland

I wonder how many of the Venezuelans on those drug boats are unwilling participants? Third-world leaders sometimes use threats to people’s lives, livelihoods and families to get them to do things they don’t want to do. Kinda like the way 100% of our Republican Congress members are forced to vote the way their leader wants or face the wrath of the cult. Just ask retiring GOP U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

— Cortland

The U.S. Navy or Coast Guard has the capability to use large ships to surround small boats leaving Venezuela, capture them, find if they are running drugs or capture them on our “shores,” maybe even possibly find that they are really just escapees from the regime of Maduro. Pete Hegseth has chosen to bomb and kill them without actual facts. These are simply war crimes. Hegseth is a poor director of our defense and should be impeached.

— Liberty

I am appalled at the cars going to a drive-through to get free food. A Mercedes, a Cadillac, a brand-new Colorado truck, a Terrain, etc. You should have proof of income and residency and a photo ID. Shame on you! Those who don’t need it take away from those who do. Say “free” and they will come. I am not the only one who feels this way. And why do you continue to have children you can’t support and take care of — absent fathers? I don’t get it. In Cook County, Illinois, there is a permanent income program — now there is an incentive not to work! They will, eventually, want more money.

— Niles

Apparently MAGA still believes that Biden is responsible for high worldwide inflation that was predicted in 2020 due to COVID recovery. The U.S. peaked in July, 2022 at 9.1%, which was one of the lowest in the world. Twelve months later it was down to 3.0%. Biden left Trump with a 2.9% inflation rate. it is now 3.0%. Also, if Biden is responsible for worldwide inflation, then by the same measure, Trump, as president, was responsible for the worldwide pandemic.

— Warren

A “fake leader” is unfit to lead America when his Thanksgiving message has zero substance and is all about himself and hating on his rivals and then follows up his Christmas message in the same depressing slump.

— Warren

Liberals say Trump is violating the Constitution by sending the National Guard into Democratic cities where crime is rampant, I suggest they revisit their history books. In 1794, George Washington called up a militia of over 13,000 men from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey and personally led them into Western Pennsylvania to put down the Whiskey Rebellion. Washington stated that the rebels had committed treason, resulting in the arrest and charging of some individuals for treason. Washington wasn’t wrong.

— Warren

Vienna Township Trustee Phil Pegg attended the Zoning board meeting on Nov. 18. It seems as if he was trying to sway the board in favor of data centers. He seems to think it could be revenue for the township. Does he not read the paper nor watch the news? No one wants these in their community. Don’t try to shove this down our throat like the speed cameras. Another question would be how ethical was this to do this at a zoning meeting? It seems by now he’d be keeping a low profile.

— Vienna

How about the many states that did not lock down, causing irreparable harm and suffering, that utilized critical thinking instead of binary thinking to go along to get along? Answer to 2020 lockdown and future such lockdowns? Next time, consider running the border to safety in free states if any will still exist! Maybe next time there will even be a snitch-line like in Minnesota? Coercive Control Issue?

— Warren

Maybe recent Black Friday sales hit record highs either due to false statistics, or shoppers needing a release, spending above their means, increasing credit card debt. Just food for thought using forensic science, or the story numbers and behavior tells! More investigative reporting? Indeed! Fraud Awareness Week is every week! How about striving to earn the annual ACFE Guardian Award?

— Warren

I was very surprised that St. Teresa of Calcutta on Burton Street will no long accept cash for their perogies or kolachi. I loved them both. I think they will lose a lot of customers. They already lost me. Not a good idea!

— Champion

Trump says everything is great. BUT inflation has risen since April. Consumer sentiment has fallen to record lows. Everyone is anxious about the high cost of living. There have been so many layoffs in the last three months; tariffs have cost about 9,000 of these. The pros indicated personal job losses are the worst in three years. BUT 47 just said “we are in a “Golden Age of America.” The only gold I see is his office and his spending.

— Cortland

I want to share an experience I had last week. I was at Sparkle in Cortland. Was in there for about 15 minutes. When I got back to my car there were three yellow roses tucked in behind my side mirror. They were beautiful. I smiled the whole way home and every time I looked at them. Thank you so much whoever you are. Just a reminder, there are still good people out there. Please pay it forward when you are able to.

— Cortland