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Work, job training are critical needs

In my eight years as a City Court Judge my biggest surprise was not our society’s drug problem but the hundreds of young men who appeared before the Court who did not work. These young men, most between 18 and 25 were “lost.” Many had dropped out of school at 16, which New York law still allows. Perhaps one-fourth of the way through the 21st Century we should decide to keep our young men in high school until graduation and teach them the value of work as both a source of self esteem and a source of financial independence. We know this approach could reduce crime and the use of ...

Sweet memories from Valentine’s Day

I vaguely recall learning about Valentine’s Day and all its trappings in first or second grade at Monroe Street Elementary. Mrs. Sullivan was the teacher. Friend Jerry Sullivan’s mom. Jerry the “papist” went to St. Mary’s Academy. My Protestant friends and I were “pagans.” I remember making a red paper heart card bordered by white lace with the words “I Love You- Happy Valentine’s Day” written in black ink on it. My mother, Vivian Van Slyke Lenarcic, kept it until she died. Cards aside, there was the candy. My favorite part of the Roman Emperor Claudius II’s gift ...

Brady is an excellent choice

ORCHARD PARK — Let’s pick up where we left off last week. To be sure, dismissing a nine-year, grade-A head coach because one wants to do even better has its risks. On Jan. 21, Buffalo Bills’ owner Terry Pegula acknowledged as much. The Bills’ most important task this off season is to make this decision work. The team took the first step in that direction on Jan. 27 by promoting its offensive coordinator to head coach. * * * Joe Brady, a Hollywood, Fla., native, grew up in Pembroke Pines, Fla.; spent his undergraduate years at the College of William & Mary, where he ...

Why pursuing Greenland makes sense

Recently our “loyal” allies – France, Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands – sent small forces to defend Greenland from U.S. aggression. These forces were intended to make any U.S. military action an attack on multiple NATO members simultaneously, effectively raising the stakes for any “coerced territorial surrender.” Not to be left out, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland strongly opposed U.S. efforts to acquire Greenland, calling the situation a “rupture in the global order.” Obviously still ...

Having a sweet tooth during a blizzard

Running out of Werther’s hard caramels doesn’t qualify as an earth-shattering crisis. Unless the only hard candy left in the house are the candy canes hanging on the Christmas tree. And they of course contain sugar. I’m supposed to limit my sugar intake. Werther’s, a German company, has been making their butterscotch-flavored morsel since 1909. They sell their candies in 100 countries. Here in the States, the candy has developed a reputation as a senior citizen favorite. Last Christmas, my grandson, Malcolm, said my candy dish was full of “old lady candy.” I noticed that ...

Village fleeced in deal with sewer district

The problems outlined in this commentary with the County Pomfret Portland Dunkirk Sewer District (PPD Sewer District) have previously been brought before the Village Mayor and Board of Trustees, but needs repeating. It’s important to reiterate those problems as nothing has been done by the Village Board to remove the 61% discount in the rate for sewer services provided by Fredonia to the PPD Sewer District, a Sewer District located outside of the Village. The 61% discount in the sewer rate to the PPD District from the established rate for Fredonia residents amounts to a Village ...