Elmira Telegram

The Chemung County Sheriff's Department has announced the arrest of 43 year old Chester J. Harris IV as a fugitive from justice out of Union County, New Jersey. Police say during a traffic stop on Lake Road in the Town of Elmira, deputies learned that Harris was wanted in New Jersey, where he had been charged with Unlawful Use Of A Firearm. Investigators receieved the warrant out of New Jersey and were asked to detain Harris He was then arrested and processed. Harris was sent to Chemung County Jail awaiting extradition to New Jersey.

Rex Reed, the prominent and outspoken film critic and journalist known for his longtime column in The New York Observer, died Tuesday. He was 87. Reed died at his Manhattan home after a short illness, publicist Sean Katz said on behalf of Reed’s friend William Kapfer. Source

The New York State Police in Bath, with the assistance of the Bath Police Department, arrested two Corning residents following a traffic stop in the town of Bath that resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Police say on May 10, 2026, at approximately 2:51 p.m., a State Trooper observed a 2003 Suzuki traveling on County Route 11 in the town of Bath with an expired inspection. A traffic stop was initiated near I-86. During the investigation, the driver and passenger provided conflicting accounts regarding their destination. The driver, identified as 47 year old Richard C. Eygabroat, of Corning, consented to a search of the vehicle. Troopers subsequently located approximately nine grams of suspected methamphetamine, packaging material, and digital scales containing residue consistent with methamphetamine. As a result of the investigation, Eygabroat was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd degree (B felony), Criminal Use Drug Paraphernalia 2nd (A misdemeanor), and Operating a Motor Vehicle without an Inspection Certificate (Violation) The passenger, 50 year old Julie B. Sweeney, also of Corning, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd degree (B felony) and Criminal Use Drug Paraphernalia 2nd (A misdemeanor) Both subjects were transported to Steuben County Jail for CAP arraignment.

Volunteers are wanted to help place more than 8,000 American flags at the Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira ahead of Memorial Day. An annual tradition, American flags will be placed in front of each gravestone in the cemetery. Those interested in helping should go to the cemetery starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 22.

by Karen Stollznow You’ve probably seen it on social media before: a paragraph of scrambled text that looks like nonsense at first glance, yet somehow you can read it with surprising ease. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. This effect, often playfully referred to as typoglycemia, is frequently shared online as a quirky insight into how our brains work. But this viral claim is only part of the story. To understand why it works, we need to look at how the brain actually processes written language. There is no magical ‘rule’The claim that usually accompanies this snippet is that as long as the first and last letters of a word are in the right place, the order of the middle letters doesn’t matter. At first glance, the claim seems plausible. But while there is a kernel of truth here, the explanation is misleading. Reading scrambled words has much less to do with a magical “rule” about first and last letters, and much more to do with how our brains use context, pattern recognition and prediction. We don’t read letter by letterWhen we read, we typically don’t painstakingly process each letter in sequence. Instead, skilled readers recognise words rapidly by drawing on multiple cues at once. Psycholinguistic research shows that we process words as patterns rather than as sequences of individual sounds. These include familiar letter patterns, the overall shape of the word and, crucially, the context of the sentence. Our brains are constantly predicting what is likely to come next, then checking those predictions against the visual input. This is why we often miss typos in our own writing. We don’t see what’s actually on the page, we see what we expect to be there. The same principle helps us make sense of jumbled words. Even when letters are out of order, enough of the structure remains for the brain to make an educated guess. Word shape and structure matterThe viral meme suggests that only the first and last letters matter. But this oversimplifies what’s really going on. We are sensitive to how letters relate to each other within a word. Common spelling patterns and familiar combinations make words easier to recognise, even when slightly distorted. This is also why certain visual disruptions make reading harder. Text in alternating caps, such as “AlTeRnAtInG CaPs”, is difficult to process because it disrupts the usual visual contour of words. The same goes for “ransom note” lettering made from mismatched fonts, which interferes with pattern recognition. In other words, readability depends on preserving enough of a word’s internal structure, not just its outer letters. Not all scrambled text is readableIf the meme were true, any sentence with intact first and last letters should be easy to read. But that’s not what we find. Take this example: Slhal I cmorape tehe to a srmmeus day It follows the supposed “rules”, yet it is much harder to decipher. In fact, this is the opening of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” So why is the viral paragraph so much easier to read? Because it has been carefully (if unconsciously) engineered to be readable. The hidden tricks behind the memeSeveral factors make the famous example easier to process than it appears. First, many of the words are short, which limits how many possible combinations the letters could form. Words like “you” and “can” are often left unchanged. Second, function words such as “the”, “and” and “is” are usually intact. These small, common words provide the grammatical scaffolding of the sentence, making it easier to predict what comes next. Third, when longer words are scrambled, the changes are often minimal. Adjacent letters are swapped (“wrod” for “word”), which is much easier to process than more extreme rearrangements. Finally, the passage itself is highly predictable. Once you recognise the topic and rhythm, your brain fills in the gaps automatically, much as it does when listening to speech in a noisy environment. The key to understanding this phenomenon is context. Words are not processed in isolation. Each word is interpreted in relation to the others around it, and within a broader framework of meaning. This allows us to compensate for missing or distorted information. But there are limits. As scrambling becomes more extreme, or as words become less predictable, comprehension quickly breaks down. Reading speed also slows noticeably, even when we can still make sense of the text. Humans and machinesInterestingly, computers can now unscramble jumbled words with remarkable accuracy. By analysing probabilities and patterns across large datasets, algorithms can determine the most likely original form of a word or sentence. In this sense, machines and humans rely on similar principles. Not rigid rules about letter position, but flexible systems that weigh patterns and probabilities. This highlights why the “typoglycemia” claim is an oversimplification, rather than a scientific rule. The idea persists because it captures a genuine insight in a catchy way. It reveals that reading is not a simple, letter-by-letter process, but a dynamic interaction between perception and expectation. At the same time, it’s a reminder of how easily scientific ideas can be distorted as they spread online. So yes, we can often read scrambled words. But not because the order of letters doesn’t matter. It’s because our brains are remarkably good at making sense of imperfect information. So good, in fact, that they can turn a mess into meaning. Karen Stollznow is a Research Fellow of Linguistics, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research at Griffith University and University of Colorado Boulder. This article originally appeared on The Conversation and is shared through a Creative Commons License.

Congrats to Lawana on her new endeavor: Unfortunately it's behind a pay wall, but you can find out more about it here.

Donald Gibb, known for playing the raucous fraternity bro Frederick Aloysius “Ogre” Palowaski in the 1984 cult classic Revenge of the Nerds, has died at the age of 71. Gibb’s family confirmed his death in a statement to Rolling Stone. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Donald Gibb — a beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, and actor. Donald loved the Lord, his family, his friends, and his fans with all his heart,” they wrote. “Known for his larger-than-life presence on screen and his kindness off screen, he brought joy, laughter, and unforgettable memories to countless people throughout his life and career.” Source

Elmira from East Hill, c. 1862 Elmira from Watercure Hill, 1870's Elmira F. D. Companies 1 and 2 Elmira Advertiser fire, 1888 Great Fire of 1874, Water Street Road into Elmira ( Watercure? ) 1870's 1897 Unknown blacksmith, date unknown Lake Street, c. 1908

The New York State Police in Painted Post announce the arrest of a Campbell man following an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving a child under the age of 11. Police say that on May 6, 2026, State Police in Painted Post received a report alleging that 37-year-old David J. Brooker, of Campbell, NY, had inappropriate sexual contact with a juvenile victim. As a result of the investigation, Brooker was arrested on May 7, 2026, and charged with: • Sexual Abuse 1st degree (D Felony) • Endangering the Welfare of a Child (A Misdemeanor) The investigation determined that the incidents occurred in the town of Campbell, Steuben County. Brooker was processed at SP Painted Post and transported to the Steuben County Jail pending arraignment. Orders of Protection were requested on behalf of the juvenile victim. The New York State Police were assisted by Steuben County Child Protective Services and the Child Advocacy Center. This investigation remains ongoing.

Webb teamed up with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, observing Saturn in complementary wavelengths of light to give us a richer, more layered understanding of its atmosphere. These images were each captured in 2024, just 14 weeks apart from each other. In both images, we’re seeing the sunlit face of Saturn’s rings; in Webb’s infrared view (left), the rings look extremely bright because they are made of highly reflective water ice. Webb’s image also highlights the long-lived jet stream known as the “ribbon wave” across the northern mid-latitudes. The small spot just below that represents a remnant from the “Great Springtime Storm” of 2011 and 2012 with several other storms dotting the southern hemisphere. Saturn’s poles also appear distinctly gray-green in this image. This color could come from a layer of high-altitude aerosols in Saturn’s atmosphere that scatters light differently at those latitudes. Another possible explanation is auroral activity, as charged molecules interacting with the planet’s magnetic field can produce glowing emissions near the poles. Both images sense sunlight reflected from Saturn’s banded clouds and hazes. Hubble’s visible light view (right) reveals subtle color variations across the planet while Webb’s infrared view senses clouds and chemicals at many different depths in the atmosphere, from the deep clouds to the tenuous upper atmosphere.

The heart of galaxy M77 is shining so brightly in this Webb telescope image, it nearly outshines the galaxy itself. The intense glow is due to gas being pulled by the strong gravity of the central black hole into a tight and rapid orbit around it. The motion of the gas causes it to heat up, releasing tremendous amounts of radiation.

ATHENS TOWNSHIP, PA – On Thursday, May 7, 2026, an Athens, PA man was arrested after the Pennsylvania State Police Northeast Computer Crime Task Force executed a search warrant at his residence located in the 1200 block of Front Street in Athens Township, Bradford County, PA. Multiple electronic devices were seized from the residence. Investigators located numerous image and video files depicting child sexual abuse material on multiple devices (allegedly) belonging to 33-year-old Casey Ryan Seymour of Athens, PA. Seymour was taken into custody and charged with the following; 10 counts of 18 PACS 6312 D – Sexual Abuse of Children – (First Degree Felony). 3 counts of 18 PACS 6312 C – Sexual Abuse of Children – (First Degree Felony). 1 count of 18 PACS 7512 A – Criminal Use of a Communication Facility – (Third Degree Felony). A preliminary arraignment was conducted by MDJ Larry Hurley. Bail was set at $250,000. Seymour could not make the bail and is currently incarcerated at the Bradford County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is currently scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 830 AM. Seymour is a registered sexual offender who was previously convicted of Sexual Abuse of Children and Indecent Assault. The following agencies assisted with the investigation: Pennsylvania State Police Towanda barracks, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office Detective Unit and Williamsport Police Department. This report comes from First New Now PA.

An open, ongoing thread for random complaints and petty annoyances that don’t warrant a thread of their own.

A heavy presence of emergency responders and an army of volunteers from both New York and Pennsylvania are actively searching for a missing 18-year-old in Tioga County. Dalton G. Malmstrom was last seen leaving his residence in the 2100 block of East River Road, near the Susquehanna River in the town of Nichols, at approximately 7:45 a.m. on May 9, 2026. Family members report he was not acting like himself prior to leaving. Dalton is described as a 5-foot-10 male with dark hair and was last seen wearing a dark-colored shirt. The attached photo is a current image of Dalton. Anyone who has seen Dalton or has information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact the New York State Police at (607) 561-7400 immediately. UPDATE: Malmstrom was found deceased in the Susquehanna River on Monday.

Any other songs you think belong on this list more?