Here are some of the best - and worst - of the week:
BEST
BALL'S TENTURE - Bob Ball has decided to step down as the head coach of the Fredonia Hillbillies football team. Ball made the decision because he wants to spend more time with his children and is considering furthering his education in administration. Ball has had a very positive tenure as head coach of the team. In his 13 years, Ball saw his teams win two league titles, a Section 6 Class C title, a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Far West Regional title and a pair of Section runner-ups. But in the end, it wasn't about the winning for Ball; it was working with the students, helping them grow.
REMEMBERING THE TRAGEDY - On Dec. 24, 1872 was one of the worst train tragedies in Chautauqua County. A train derailed in Portland, killing 20 people and injuring another 18. (It appears the death toll went up to 32 from those injured.) On Christmas Eve this past week, a moment of silence was held in the backyard of Brocton Central School Guidance Counselor Bob Wright. "We just go out there and say a few words and then we have a couple of cocktails," Wright said during an interview beforehand. "We've done it every year since I've lived here."
TALL TRIBUTE - The largest wind turbine on the eastern seaboard was recently dedicated in memory of Dunkirk/Fredonia native Bruce Stokes, the vice president of Human Resources at Varian Semiconductor. The wind turbine, located in Gloucester, Mass., stretches 492 feet from base to the top of the rotor.
WORST
BILLS SEASON FINALE - Once again the Buffalo Bills are playing a meaningless game on Sunday. That's because the team is once again out of the playoffs. In fact, the team has yet to make the post-season since they left Fredonia as their summer home. Everybody keeps talking about getting a new quarterback or a new coach. Maybe what they really need is a new summer training camp!
