Andrew Waite, Author at The Gloversville Leader Herald

18 Sep

Waite: With every concession, Congressional chaos keeps getting scarier – and Stefanik seems unbothered

Andrew Waite0 CommentsEmail Newsletter, Local News, Op-Ed Columns, Opinion

Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik delivered a rousing speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives nominating Kevin McCarthy to serve as Speaker. Calling McCarthy "a proud conservative with a tireless work ethic,” Stefanik, the upstate New York Congresswoman who serves as the House Republican Conference chair, said she was honored to nominate the California Republican “to lead America’s new Republican majority.” After a protracted 15 rounds of voting, McCarthy finally received the speakership. While McCarthy stopped short of giving up a limb to secure the post, members of the party’s Freedom Caucus twisted McCarthy’s arm…

16 Aug

Waite: State must listen as rural residents face undue burden with solar energy

Andrew Waite0 CommentsEditorials, Email Newsletter, Local News, Op-Ed Columns, Opinion

Solar-energy development has become so controversial in parts of the Mohawk Valley that town of Canajoharie Supervisor Benny Goldstein fights himself on the issue. Personally, Goldstein, a 46-year-old Republican, is for solar energy. “I think it’s a wonderful thing,” Goldstein told me this week. Politically, he’s learned his lesson. “I’m changing my mind, actually, because so many people are against it,” he said. “I have to represent the will of the people.” In the town of Canajoharie, as in neighboring Mohawk Valley communities, solar is the kind of divisive issue that pits one neighbor who wants to rent land to…

09 Aug

Waite: On your next picnic, don’t pack your gun

Andrew Waite0 CommentsEditorials, Local News, Op-Ed Columns, Opinionamsterdam, amsterdam new york, andrew waite, firearm safety, firearms, gun safety, gun violence, guns, Montgomery County, montgomery county new york, opinion, parks, public parks, public safety, Safety, shooting, Veteran's Park

For the second time in a month, someone fired a gun at Veterans Park in Amsterdam. The most recent incident happened before 3:30 in the afternoon on Sunday. The pool was open. A three-day basketball tournament was underway. The previous incident happened during a free family movie night as “Minions: The Rise of Gru” played on the screen. Kids as young as 4 years old were watching, according to reporting by Ashley Onyon. These shootings are not examples of crime run amok in Amsterdam. Instead, they prove how senseless it is to bring guns to a community park. On Sunday,…

23 Jun

Northville valedictorian Makayla Laport continues to explore – CLASS OF 2023

Andrew Waite0 CommentsFulton County, Local NewsClass of 2023, graduation, Northville, Northville High School

NORTHVILLE - Northville High School valedictorian Makayla Laport missed more than 20 days of school this year, largely as a result of mental health challenges. “I’ve been diagnosed with anxiety and depression since I was 12, and so some days life gets really hard,” Laport said. The 17-year-old, who plans to major in biomedicine and minor in Spanish at Nazareth University in the Rochester area in the fall, doesn’t shy away from her personal struggles. In fact, she plans for them to factor into the speech she’ll give at graduation. In addition to her own challenges, she’ll also address societal…

14 Jun

Waite: Stefanik knows politics is Trump’s only way out

Andrew Waite0 CommentsEmail Newsletter, Fulton County, Local News, Other

The same day former President Donald Trump was arraigned on 37 criminal counts to do with his handling of classified documents, North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik put out a statement that accused President Joe Biden of continuing “to fully weaponize the federal government against President Trump.”Meanwhile, Stefanik’s team has been unabashedly doing what it can to monetize Trump’s indictment. Just hours after news broke last week of Trump’s impending indictment on federal charges, Stefanik, the House Republican Conference Chair who has announced she is seeking a sixth term in 2024, began fundraising. An email asked supporters to “RUSH A DONATION TO…

12 Jun

Waite: Failures on housing drag down social justice successes

Andrew Waite0 CommentsEmail Newsletter, Local News, The Gloversville Leader Herald

When New York State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, of Brooklyn, spoke on the Senate floor in support of the “Clean Slate” bill that will seal criminal records of millions of New Yorkers, he said the measure goes way beyond progress on social justice. “Clean Slate is a jobs bill, it’s an education bill, it’s a housing bill,” Myrie, who co-sponsored the Clean Slate Senate bill, said during recent floor debates, according to WAMC reporting. Housing was an interesting choice. Because, unfortunately, while state lawmakers made significant progress on social justice during the most recent legislative session, they failed on housing. And that failure…