The goings on in Albany have been getting me down recently, including things like the new abortion law. But then I read a story that reminded me of an event in our history when average men bravely answered the call of their nation without a concern for “budget constraints.” The story ...

Kick the Can. Capture the Flag. Both played within biking distance at neighboring friends who shared huge back yards. When it wasn’t summer perfect and we’d aged a bit, Monopoly and Clue. Card games of course. I ran out of game players as I turned older though one drawer still holds Uno ...

It is a shame that for the second time in two years the computer based grades 3-8 state ELA exams have been interrupted by technical issues. More times than not, during the past decade, there has been some issue with either the state math or the state ELA exams, be it content, scoring or ...

Why reparation for slavery is a bad idea Leading Democratic Presidential candidates support reparations for slavery or a commission to study reparations. This includes Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Julian Castro, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), ...

Words have meaning. That is certainly a simple statement. If they didn’t have meaning they would not exist. Without words, could our lives progress in any way? Words portray, and are symbols of thoughts. By the same token, if a mosquito never existed, we would have no such word in our ...

At the last city of Dunkirk council meeting was a resident from another municipality who claims to be a previous resident of the city of Dunkirk and owns property in the city. She couldn’t say enough and was giving high praise to this administration for the progress that has been made in the ...

The ever-chubby North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has a plan to make his country great again. It involves the populace of his nation performing at almost super-human levels. His plan will require an amazing effort on part of the average NoKo citizen. The plan is no joke. Apparently, there is ...

In his later years, before he stopped driving altogether, my dad would ask me to drive him to Erie if he needed to go there. “I ain’t drivin’ in the big city no more,” he’d say. Well, let me tell you about driving in the “big city,” of which Erie is not one. I just completed ...

Editor’s note: The Brooks-TLC Hospital System is planning on building a new hospital at the former Cornell Cooperative Extension site in Fredonia. Since the announcement in January, there have been a number of questions from the community regarding the proposal. Here are some frequently asked ...

I should have known. She’s absolutely impossible. Not that she wasn’t already, but getting an article about her — HER — in the papers has gone to Gloria’s head. She sashays around, twitching that sleek fanny of hers, and expects us to make room for her. Don’t count on it, I ...

Welcome to the third of a three-part vignette. At the first session, we met Shirl and Brian, parents of Austin and Elise. They provided an overview of the circumstances leading the school principal and guidance counselor to suggest family counseling and anger management counseling for Austin. ...

If the Democrats are ever going to gain control again, they’ll have to rein in all of the radical socialists in their party. First of all, they need a good candidate to run for the office of president. They don’t need Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Beto O’Rourke or ...

Perhaps the most basic function of religion (and spiritualism) is the attempt to explain the inexplicable. The fear of death is at the core of the human experience, and life itself has no significance or beauty if its purpose is simply to sustain its own existence for as long as it can while ...

Since its beginnings in 1898, Brooks Memorial Hospital in Dunkirk has been a vital and dynamic health care facility. Truly through the years, Brooks has a distinguished historical legacy of extraordinary responsiveness to a variety of health care needs for hundreds upon hundreds of individuals. ...

It is time to return to the subject that spurred me to start writing commentaries a year ago: guns and the violent taking of innocent lives tragically and unnecessarily. The determination of the Parkland, Fla., survivors has been instrumental in finally seeing some action from our ...

As I see it, solar power should be a individual choice not made for us on behalf of the Arkwright Town Board. If people want to put panels on their roofs or their own property, that is a personal choice. It is not for a Town Board to decide for the entire community. You would think by now ...

I doubt that many people have been keeping track of the various moves and shenanigans that have been going on in Albany relative to the state budget. Most citizens don’t care much unless it hits them directly in the pocket book. Yet, as an old-time observer of Albany budget-making, I found ...

As our population grows we need to invest in our transportation systems. We must ask ourselves what kind of transportation is the best investment, airports and roads or trains? Trains have many advantages over airports and cars. They are the most efficient way to move goods and people ...

One claim that sets Christianity apart from every other major religion is that its main prophet is still alive. No other religion can make this claim. How can this be, since that major prophet walked the earth over 2000 years ago and was crucified publicly? Answer: on the third day He rose ...

After Democrats won control of the State Senate in November, some upstate politicians began discussing separating upstate New York from downstate New York. While the idea of upstate New York seceding from downstate may have merit, it would not an easy thing to pull off. Secession of ...