I submitted my passport application this week. The total was $190 including processing fee at the post office in addition to the eight-dollar passport photo. I am fortunate that the expense was an irritation and not part of the grocery budget. Luckily, I had a certified copy of my birth ...

My dog Rocco stares at me a lot. It’s not because he thinks I look good. And it’s not because he wants me to take him on a romp through the woods to sniff out raccoons or other wild creatures (note: he is afraid of the squirrels in the yard, and they have perceived his cowardice, taunting ...

Pete Howard and I often talk about writing the script for the pilot of a television show. We already have a name for the show. North County Catholic. That’s a little dig at The Buffalo News. The News could never get the name Northern Chautauqua Catholic School correct when Pedro would ...

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. Last month, Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel visited the Dunkirk Common Council to offer remarks about consolidation. In his usual form, he used fear mongering to put Fredonia in a ...

This past week the Christian Church has been observing a most holy and sacred event, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection into heaven. While the Christian belief is the most prevalent in our country, it is not mandatory and should never be made mandatory. The United States ...

Federal law establishes Election Day for federal offices as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? But wait. What about mailed absentee ballots? What about mail-in ballots? Does federal law mean such ballots must arrive at local boards ...