The Batavian’s Howard Owens on This Week’s State of Greater Western New York Report – July 15, 2021

If you really want to get down to the nitty-gritty of what’s happening on the front lines of the Greater Western New York Region, you need to speak to someone covering events at the local community news level. We’re delighted to have Howard Owens, publisher of The Batavian, an online newspaper covering Genesee County. Owens knows the ropes when it comes to local news. He even has a police scanner in his office. We’re talking old-time journalism, here.

The first segment highlights some local events in and around Batavia before delving into the broader impact of bail reform in New York State. Owens explains how the local district attorney and police department feel about it and how it hurts smaller counties. He focuses on how this reform is the result of single-minded thinking that doesn’t consider the consequences to regions outside where the biggest problems exist.

The second segment then addresses the real root of this problem and many problems within New York State and the Greater Western New York Region in general. This has to do with the historical reasons why New York State has only a population-based representative system. Owens tells how this imbalance was promulgated by a court ruling in the 1960s. He then briefly describes some possible remedies.

Our guest happily answered questions from the live audience. Would you like to be a member of our live audience so you can ask our guests questions? Click here to join the growing number of members who share your feelings on StateOf.GreaterWesternNewYork.com because then we can automatically send you the link to watch our shows live.

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