When Groton schools began offering free lunches to all students five years ago, the number of students who stopped in the nurse’s office complaining of stomach aches in the morning dropped …

Two greater Cortland area basketball teams had amazing seasons and advanced to the state semifinals this year, but no further. Even in “defeat,” however, these student athletes have …

Two things stopped a child sex abuser last week: the definition of the word “gratification”; and one girl’s courage. Mitchell L. Padbury, 63, of Marathon, was convicted of six …

As the Homer Town Board weighs rules to govern digital billboards proposed on Interstate 81, it faces broader questions about the community’s future. The town’s last comprehensive …

Following what we expect was a pretty vocal backlash when Cortland County legislators voted to revise their mileage policy to, among other things, reimburse legislators for their commute from home to …

You know the committee name’s a clunker when the committee chairman won’t pronounce it correctly. Last week, Cortland County Legislator Beau Harbin (D-Cortland) referred to the …

We first noticed the problem early in the coronavirus pandemic, three years ago. Our reporters tried to cover public meetings via Zoom or some other teleconference operation. We weren’t …

We applaud the efforts of local leaders to find a solution to the childcare crunch, especially because we don’t expect major action at the state or federal level anytime soon. Our best chance …

As the village of Homer is finding out and the city of Cortland has already learned, the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative provides an incentive to plan big to make a good downtown a …

We’d like to address this editorial to our representatives in the House, our two senators and President Joe Biden: We beg of you, please. Please, PLEASE can we finally ditch this silly …

What does it mean to be hungry? It fundamentally changes how you think about food — about everything, really — and that the experience is never far from your mind, even for many years …

We like to think people have a certain amount of common sense. Then we see the reports. Every few days we get a couple — sometimes a couple dozen — reports of people being charged with …

Like other urban communities, the city of Cortland has vacant buildings and properties that need redevelopment. Property owners and city officials have struggled to clear the way for new uses that …

We geeked out around the table, surrounded by funny-looking dice, lead figurines and a fantasy world of our own making. Maybe the knight could slay the dragon, but perhaps the thief could steal the …

The state suspended the liquor license of the Stone Lounge tavern in Cortland in October, effectively closing the business after police and state officials found 77 of the 90 patrons were …

New York is one of the few states that pass the costs of Medicaid on to individual counties. For years, county leaders from all over the state begged Albany to provide some relief — Medicaid …

Anyone attending a criminal court proceeding quickly finds out that the prosecution’s job is to represent “the people.” It is charged with helping to enforce laws for the good of …

Over many years, we’ve watched municipal leaders from villages, towns and the city of Cortland invoke an “executive session” as a sort of magic spell. They seem to believe that …

With a pair of socks. When Family Health Network announced the acquisition of a mobile medical van — a 42-foot behemoth with extensions to create four rooms that we think just might be …

Land bank — On the surface, the concept sounds kind of funny. Can you deposit some land? Will it gain interest? Will someone lend you some land? But as we’ve seen the idea work in …

The state has minimum standards for municipalities to make large purchases to make sure taxpayers get the best deal for their money. The state Comptroller’s Office issued a citation to the town …

The state has minimum standards for municipalities to make large purchases to make sure taxpayers get the best deal for their money. The state Comptroller’s Office issued a citation to the …

The list of projects is a cornucopia of critical upgrades and almost whimsical wouldn't-it-be-cool-ifs. And now the village of Homer has $10 million to make both happen. The state announced …

We have long liked the idea of Congressional representatives coming to the greater Cortland area, not because we like to rub elbows with the hoi polloi — nowadays that’s an invitation to …

We never know where life may take us or whose lives we may influence along the way. SUNY Cortland honored the Rev. Abraham Lincoln DeMond, its first Black graduate, Feb. 2 at a ceremony in Corey …