Editor’s note: Former State University of New York at Fredonia professor and OBSERVER columnist George Sebouhian was preparing to write his life story when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2013. He died three years later, having left behind hundreds of pages of research notes, poems and ...

“Dunkirk First.” That was the campaign slogan in 1997 of three-time Dunkirk Republican Mayor Margaret Wuerstle as she vied for a fourth term in office. Thwarted by a Democratic majority on the Common Council during her entire time as mayor, she was unable to accomplish many of her ...

Here at Northern Chautauqua Catholic School, we have had a great start to the 2019-20 school year. We hope that your school year has gotten off to a wonderful start as well. One sure way to know how the school year is going for your family is to ask. ¯ Is your child excited to go to ...

The term “socialism” turns off many conservative citizens. They quickly equate it with communism. Or confuse it with National Socialism (Nazism) — though White Supremacy resembles Nazism, and the U.S. has groups that identify as Nazi. President Trump faults the Democratic party-all 42 ...

My trip to Alaska was sensationally phenomenal ... if not phenomenally sensational. That state has so much to offer. I know these columns are to be centered on nature-plus and positively never a travelogue. The paper has other writers for that. But I will have more in one of my columns for ...

The ongoing war against President Trump attempting to destroy his presidency and remove him from office by Democrats is proof that the Democratic coup d’etat continues after nearly three years. Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently spoke touchingly about our democracy being under attack and how ...

Can we believe what we read, see, hear, learn in school or college? If who we are today is a culmination of all that we have learned and have been, on what premise do we make our decisions and take action? For instance, Columbus Day is a day to celebrate the discovery of the “New World” by ...

Female empowerment has moved closer to the Dunkirk area with the recent conference sponsored by the city of Dunkirk, OBSERVER and others in the beginning of September 2019. The title, “Wonderful World of Women,” indicated the possible theme of this networking effort as a first attempt to ...

This article discusses two major topics. The first pertains to the Memorial Park that was used for a political protest and those who used the monuments as props for their political ignorance. A recent commentary was headlined, “This land and park is made for you and me.” It also stated ...

I am a social butterfly, and I have the t-shirt to prove it. I am a gregarious, outgoing person, although this is an acquired state; I wasn’t always this way. At times my old shyness and insecurities come back and I retreat into myself. A friend once told me she could tell when we were ...

Over the past week fire departments, cities, villages and schools across the country are celebrating Fire Prevention Week. This year’s slogan is “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape, Plan and Practice Your Escape.” This slogan is meant to encourage the importance of preparedness in case of a ...

By MICHELLE HELMER I have known for a long time that football has a special place in organized sports. This sport fosters a level of camaraderie that is hard to match. If you’ve never played, I’m sure it’s difficult to truly understand this brotherhood. I was blessed to witness this ...

I am writing to express my disgust and appall at the conduct of several of our elected officials and their paid appointed employees at the League of Women Voters “Meet the Candidates Night” in City Hall on Tuesday. At this event, Dunkirk Councilman Michael Civiletto, County Legislator ...

I’ve got it figured out. According to recent audit records, Fredonia State was undercharged about $300,000 for water provided by the village of Fredonia. No one seems to have a good answer for what exactly happened. Has anybody considered that the Russians and Vladimir Putin interfered ...

Long before I had ever heard of the word “Staycation,” I had set aside the third week of each month to be my vacation time. A most enticing idea, I planned to cut back to a minimum of housework and devote those extra hours to reading. I figured I could appreciate that one time a month ...

Last article we met Alice and her friend, Irene, while enjoying breakfast at a local restaurant. I wore outdoor work clothes readying up to tune-up my mowers. Irene, Alice, and Irene’s husband and son shared a table. Irene recognized my face from a newspaper article that I composed. Even ...

The right-to-die movement argues that terminally ill people have a right to die via physician-assisted suicide, refusing life-saving medical treatment, or voluntary euthanasia. Their argument is sound. There is a moral right to die in these ways and should be a legal right to it. ...

There was an article in the newspaper last month headlined, “Where have the wild birds gone? 3 billion fewer than 1970.” The article questioned if perhaps the effect was caused by cats, and birds hitting windows, but we have had cats and windows for generations. How could that be suddenly ...

The calendar indicates that fall is here. My wife, Elaine, and I so cherish the autumn season. It is the season that we each of us have always enjoyed from the time of our youth and that joy continues today in the life of each of us. For “yours truly” during my youth, the setting ...

Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts. So it went down like this. When Caz opened in 1991, rocks were thrown at our house, garbage dumped on our front lawn, a drive by firing two shots into the porch. But more than that was how eight African Americans, four Puerto Ricans, two native ...