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Simple arithmetic with Education Department

Throughout the campaign and since his reelection President Donald Trump has made plain his intention to close or drastically shrink the size of the Department of Education. Teachers unions are vehemently opposed to the potential closure. They view such actions as detrimental to students. Teachers unions such as the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have strongly criticized the Trump administration’s actions to date that include mass layoffs and executive orders aimed at reducing the department’s size and ...

Sedota always on ‘front line’ for village

I would like to take some time to recognize the public service to the village of Fredonia of James M. Sedota who recently died on July 15, 2025. I don’t believe many residents are aware of the responsible and demanding positions Jim held in village government. Jim served the village of Fredonia as village administrator for 30 years, a very demanding job. He also served during that same period as village clerk and village treasurer which were also demanding jobs. Jim held three important positions for our village at a modest salary. As village attorney, I served with Jim during all ...

Plenty happening on Chautauqua Lake

If you live on the west side of Chautauqua Lake, you know that the season at Chautauqua Institution has arrived because the traffic on Route 394 has doubled. It is not just people traveling to Chautauqua for its programs, it is people from Chautauqua heading for Lakewood to shop and buy groceries. You just have to get used to the traffic. It is best to slow down when you get on the road, and to expect that it may take you a minute or two longer to get to your destination. This is especially the case as there are now stoplight restrictions related to construction work on the ...

Local Economic Development group: County trails perfect for all seasons

Chautauqua County is home to a wealth of year-round outdoor recreation opportunities. Whether you like to swim, fish, hike, bike, ski, or find one of the many other ways to enjoy the natural world surrounding us, there are plenty of places to find exactly what you want in a thoroughly enjoyable setting. Some of the very best places to go include the more than 250 miles of recreational trails available throughout the county. Most of us take these trails for granted and don’t fully appreciate what an important economic development driver these trails are. In addition to providing ...

Keeping our cool when talking climate

Ignorance, like history, repeats itself when people refuse to learn from it. One lesson we should have learned is that science and ideology do not mix. We saw this during Biden’s disastrous COVID response, which gave the U.S. the worst COVID death rate in the world. Yet some people still cling to COVID Vax/Lockdown Ideology. So it is with Climate Ideology. Last September, Hurricane Helene tracked north into southern Appalachia, bringing massive flooding to western North Carolina. Immediately the Gnostic cry went up: Climate change! Of course, people making this claim couldn’t be ...

Autism increase is ‘a five alarm fire’

CHAUTAUQUA — If you’re a ways along in life — whatever that might mean — think back to when you were in school. Do you recall any significant number of your schoolmates having autism? Do you recall any significant number of your schoolmates having other childhood illnesses prevalent now? Do you recall any significant number of your schoolmates being on prescriptions? To whatever extent any of these is attributable to improvements in diagnoses of illnesses—or whatever term you prefer—there also appears to be an increase in incidence of illnesses. ≤≤≤ Dr. ...