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Trump foes blind to faults of others

For the last 10 years I have been trying to understand why people hate everything that Donald Trump says and does. I have never been able to comprehend why some have gone out of their way to destroy not only the president, but also all the members of his family and a thriving business that ...

Last Tuesday was hit-the-road time!

Every May I drive to Lexington, Massachusetts to celebrate my grandson’s birthday and decorate our family graves. This year was special. Malcolm was also graduating from high school and the family gathered – even more of us than usual. His grandfather drove up from New York City with ...

Competing with convenience on meals

In a town of fast-food restaurants, Starbucks runs and energy drinks, SUNY Fredonia has the potential to leave the trends behind and begin to make the community healthier. Sustainable food is the key to happier campus members, and eating locally and seasonally is the best way to support our farmers, our nutritional health and, in the long run, our wallets. According to an article published in July 2024 by the American Heart Association, “Having to pay for those transport fees, the refrigeration fees, all of those things… really add up and can make the out-of-season foods more ...

The OBSERVER’s View: Rising numbers add concerns over homeless

Since a crisis put Jamestown in a statewide spotlight in the summer of 2024, homelessness has become a major issue in Chautauqua County. A website poll finds that readers are in agreement. Last week’s question, “Are you concerned about the homeless problem in Chautauqua County?” found 64% of the 462 who answered said yes while 36% said no. This month, the issue came up during the county Human Services Committee meeting. There, legislators learned a portion of the Clarion Pointe Hotel, formerly known as the Comfort Inn on Route 60 just outside of Jamestown, that houses ...

Star power fueled company’s rise

Editor’s note: North county business and community leader Stanley Albert Star died Friday, May 29 at 89. Here is a column written in 2014 that highlights his work in creating Cliffstar. What started as a kosher wine business in northern Chautauqua County near the turn of the 20th century became one of the greatest success stories that Dunkirk-Fredonia has ever known. In 1971, Stanley Star and his Uncle Leo Star created Cliffstar, which would become the nation’s largest private-label juice company. “I was convinced that the popularity of juice as a regular drink was going to grow ...

A beautiful day on the expressway

Most people now call it I-86, but I still call it the “Southern Tier Expressway.” That expresses what it truly is. On an overcast day last fall, my wife and I were returning from the Syracuse area where one of our kids lives. It is quicker to take the Thruway to get home, but I always opt for the back roads and the expressway that threads through the hills of the Southern Tier. As we came up the big hill heading west from Bath, the clouds were almost touching the ground as we came to the summit of the pass at Howard. When we drove by Hornell, I said to my wife, “I think we will ...