Hello. My name is Scott and I’m a chocolaholic.
The attempted murder of two deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department over the weekend appalled most Americans and further divided a society trying to resolve differences between law enforcement agents and minority communities.
How can one defend a public official who admits to concealing from constituents critical information about a deadly virus at the start of a health care crisis?
This was written exactly 19 years ago. It seems as if it happened yesterday and it seems as if it happened so long ago.
The following editorial appeared in The Dallas Morning News.
Nearly two decades later, we’re still grappling with how to make sense of the attacks by radical Islamic terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.
The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sept. 2:
The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Unemployment rates in the GLOW region counties are down from their April peak, but a July surge is cause for concern even as more businesses adapt and reopen as the area tries to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As with just about everything else in 2020, this Labor Day won’t be run of the mill.
(Note: This past week I read a bio of a ‘famous’ person which had a line that this person was listed in Who’s Who. Is there still a Who’s Who? Either way, it reminded me of this, which was written in 2003)
It’s hard not to see the link between two recent reports.
More random thoughts and random truths as we continue to sink into the abysss ...
Taking college courses this fall will require patience, technological savvy and, especially, flexibility.
Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the guidance of health experts from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, New York state has emerged from the deadly shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic to record and maintain the lowest infection rate in the nation.
Many congressional Republicans have been quick to criticize proposals by their Democratic colleagues to provide support for the U.S. Postal Service.
If you ever saw the 1957 film “a Face in the Crowd,” it was probably the only time in your life that you remember hating Andy Griffith (or at least the character he played).
Almost exactly five months since millions of New Yorkers hunkered down in quarantine, the state marked a sort of milestone last week: Localities are revamping COVID-19 testing and influenza vaccine strategies as the state’s rate of new COVID-19 infections remained below 1 percent positive fo…
One moment she was talking about getting her casts off and going swimming and the next went like this:
The ink was barely dry on the United States/Mexico/Canada Act when President Donald Trump decided to thumb his nose at one of these international allies.
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution demonstrates how our democratic system eventually overcame the unenlightened mindset of those who created it.
I found him under the big shade tree in front of Batavia High School, on his back in a hammock, a frosty daiquiri by his side.
A civil action initiated last week against the National Rifle Association seeks to do much more than address potential fraud, which should concern those wanting to preserve our constitutional rights under the First and Second amendments.
Five days ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said schools can open for in-person learning this fall based on the state’s low COVID-19 infection rate.
The following editorial appeared in The Dallas Morning News.
What began as a big question mark Friday ended with an answer that many parents and teachers were hoping to hear, and with a little optimistic news on the side.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo wagged his finger at President Donald Trump and the federal government Monday for not coming clean about their failed COVID-19 response and not telling the truth to the American people about the dramatic spread of the virus.
(Note: Scott DeSmit is on vacation. With the election looming and birthers looming in case Biden, or Trump, was born in Tanzania, here is a column from 2011 for your perusal.)
The more than 350,000 residents of Hiroshima, Japan, had no way of knowing the horror they would endure on this date in 1945.
No industry has been left untouched by the novel coronavirus. Medical personnel have been affected the worst. They’ve been overwhelmed and understaffed. They often lack the basis resources necessary to care for people who have become seriously ill with COVID-19.
I do not engage with readers and those making comments on social media.
Washington and Albany recently came to some accommodations to ensure New Yorkers would continue participating in the Trusted Traveler Program next year.
Encouraging everyone to participate in the decennial census is an uphill battle even in good times.
The Story of Doctor Dolittle, Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home ...
It took more than five years for the federal government to arrest, try, convict and sentence Sheldon Silver to prison.
The proposal to reopen schools for the upcoming academic year is raising numerous concerns and questions.
As school districts debate if, when and how to go back to classroom education a recurring sentiment from a fair percentage of parents across the country is that their kids won’t be wearing a mask all day (if at all).
Having to live in a nursing home can be challenging enough. But the novel coronavirus pandemic has made everyday conditions even more difficult. Senior citizens are particularly vulnerable to becoming sick after being infected, and the fear of death is a constant worry.
Unveiling bad news is becoming second nature to government leaders, so it is no surprise to hear that a COVID-19 resurgence in New York is inevitable, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said before expanding the two-week isolation mandate for travelers to 10 additional states, or more than half the nation.
The Paycheck Protection Program — initially approved by Congress in March as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act — has benefited many organizations in during this health care crisis.
The death of Charlie Daniels got me thinking about music.
New York’s travel advisory was expanded Tuesday to require visitors from 23 states to self-isolate for two weeks, adding Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin to the list.
The state Education Department released guidance Monday detailing how New York’s 713 school districts can make plans to reopen. President Donald Trump is demanding all schools reopen, even in areas where COVID-19 is resurgent. New York is taking a far more prudent and sensible approach.
An announcement last week by the Trump administration regarding foreign students will hurt colleges and universities at a time when they need the federal government’s help.
Thank you Indianapolis Star. That’s what I wrote down after watching a documentary on the newspaper’s dogged pursuit of allegations that members of the U.S. gymnastics team were being sexually assaulted.
State authorities have expressed their strong support for ensuring everyone in New York has access to high-speed internet.
New York has joined many other states in developing plans for loosening restrictions established to deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation seeks to reduce confusion about regulations pertaining to migratory game birds.
If more people throughout the state refuse to wear masks or follow social distancing rules while interacting with others, authorities may tighten the reins on reopening procedures.
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
In an emphatic illustration that the pandemic is far from over, the state Department of Health is investigating COVID-19 exposure in four virus clusters after officials traced multiple new infections to a student who recently traveled to Florida and attended a downstate graduation ceremony.