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Opinion

It all changed on Easter 1958

Commentary

I think that we all experience a day, or event, which changes our lives forever. Maybe it’s that teacher who inspires us to become all that we’re capable of being. Or that girl or guy who upon meeting we know is the one, whose unconditional love guarantees a lifetime of happiness. Or, sadly, a moment in combat leaving psychological wounds which can never heal (PTSD). In my case, it was Easter Sunday in 1958. Although my memory is mostly shot because of a combination of COVID and age, I can recall some things vividly, that day being one of them. I woke up to a glorious, sun-kissed ...

Lawmakers do not deserve a pay hike

The OBSERVER’s View

Surely, New York’s Democrats can’t be serious with yet another proposal to increase legislative salaries. Unfortunately, at least one is. Sen. James Sanders, D-South Ozone Park, is proposing a new increase in lawmakers’ salaries from $142,000 to $180,000. We’d say the bill is an April Fool’s Day joke, but it was introduced March 2 instead of April 1. It’s only been three years since state legislators gave themselves a $32,000 raise in exchange for a $35,000 limit on outside income. Sanders says state lawmakers have earned the raise by overseeing one of the largest state ...

Leaders step up on merger plans

The OBSERVER’s View

Too often, we look to New York state government for money to help solve our problems. One of those problems has been the merger of local governments and school districts. We still don’t think the state has been proactive enough on that front, particularly after the 2008-09 Lundine Commission’s recommendations focused on local government consolidation. And we’ve been critical in the past of the county not pushing harder when it comes to shared services proposals. So it’s hard to criticize County Executive PJ Wendel for finding county money to help with two current merger ...

The newspaper and local sports

Commentary

This week I opened the newspaper, and there on the front of the Sports Page was an incredible photograph of three girls from Frewsburg with hands raised celebrating their State Championship in basketball for the second year in a row. It wasn’t just the photograph but also the write-up which made the article so powerful. There was an analysis of how the game played out, how the team rallied, what the coach had to say, and, of course, the euphoria that swept the crowd and the small community of Frewsburg upon being named State Champions once again in Class C Girls Basketball. I have ...

Economy drives people out of state

Commentary

Across New York, families and businesses are facing an affordability crisis that is making it increasingly difficult to live, work, and stay here. High taxes, rising energy costs, burdensome regulations and the ever-growing cost of living are pushing people to leave the state. The data tells a troubling story. Since Governor Kathy Hochul took office in 2021, more than 1,045,000 people have left New York for other states through domestic migration. Recent data shows that in just the past year alone, New York lost more than 137,000 residents to other states, bringing the five-year total ...

COUNTY: Loss of Refresco a hit to farming

The OBSERVER’s View

Farming has been a way of life for many in Chautauqua County for as long as there has been a Chautauqua County. That way of life is increasingly difficult, as we were all reminded recently when news broke that Refresco, a grape processing plant located on Talcott Street in Dunkirk, is ending its relationship with 126 grape growers throughout the region. Officials with the Lake Erie Regional Grape Project have known since the end of the 2025 grape harvest that growers need to make changes. Jennifer Phillips Russo, Cornell Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Team Leader and Viticulture ...