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The OBSERVER’s View

County: Familiar story plays out at lake

For more than a century Chautauqua Lake has been the goose that lays golden eggs. That was the case when lakefront hotels and amusement parks dotted the lake’s shores around the turn of the century. It was true as lakefront homes and summer cottages sprung up around the lake. The goose helped create southern Chautauqua County’s tourist economy. The goose is still capable of laying golden eggs as developers look to spend big bucks on lakefront development. We all love the goose. We really love those golden eggs that keep dollars flowing in the summer. But we can’t seem to agree ...

New York State: Assembly Dems put on rural reps

When Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, R-Jamestown, debated a bill or spoke on a bill’s merits, he knew he wasn’t speaking to Democrats in the Assembly. The same is true for Goodell’s successor, Andrew Molitor. But, during the latter part of Goodell’s tenure in the Assembly the Jamestown Republican often led the Assembly in floor time used thanks to his role as the minority whip. For all of that floor time Goodell knew he was rarely going to sway a Democrat from voting with the Republican caucus. But Goodell knew that he could often make good enough points to either get the governor ...

FREDONIA District has time to fix finances

Fredonia Central School district residents did not need to hear the news from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to know of the troubling fiscal plight. Since a meeting in December, the district has been well aware of its money problems that will become more apparent as the 2026-27 budget gets pieced together. On Thursday, DiNapoli issued his Fiscal Stress Monitoring System for the year ending June 30. It was up to 31 from 22 districts in fiscal stress the prior year. “In recent years, pandemic-related federal funding as well as increases in state aid have provided districts with ...

THRUWAY: Closing interstate always a tough call

Even though we are battle tested, there is no telling when winter will take a turn for the worse. That is exactly what happened around 1 p.m. Tuesday. Blizzard and whiteout conditions took over much of the north county — especially on the State Thruway that led to at least three accidents, including one with multiple vehicles. With the weather deteriorating, first responders that included the Fredonia Fire Department and Thruway State Police made it to the scene. Minor injuries were reported, but it begs the question: should the state Thruway have been closed? For those witnessing ...

CAMPAIGN: Catholic school seeks sustainability

It seems as though it is a battle for survival every year for Northern Chautauqua Catholic School. As it stands, the facility remains the only Catholic school in Chautauqua County as the other locations could not sustain. Despite its success, NCCS needs more assistance. This week, the school announced the launch of Campaign 157, an effort to strengthen and sustain private Catholic education in Chautauqua County. The campaign marks the 157-year anniversary of the completion of the school’s historic building originally called Columbus Hall — perhaps the oldest private elementary ...

CONGRESS: Office closure a sign of our times

Our political discourse is not in a good place across the country. The closure of Rep. Nick Langworthy’s Jamestown office after what the congressman termed credible threats and calls for violence directed at Langworthy is proof of that. It would be nice to see charges if the threats are credible, as Langworthy says they are. Given vandalism at Langworthy’s office in Jamestown and a suspicious package sent to Langworthy’s Clarence office, both of which took place within the past 12 months, we can understand the need for caution if only to protect Langworthy’s office staff who ...