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Catholic Charities brings hope to needy

Commentary

By DAN MECCA For more than 100 years, Catholic Charities has stood alongside Western New Yorkers during some of the hardest chapters of their lives. Today, nearly one in every 10 people in our region will be touched by its work. That’s not just a statistic. It represents children, parents, seniors and neighbors who need support to steady their footing and move forward. Hope takes many forms inside Catholic Charities. It’s a mother receiving counseling so she can hold her family together during a time of stress. It’s an older adult who no longer has to choose between paying ...

SOUTH DAYTON: Dissolution plan worth watching

The OBSERVER’s View

With recent discussions of a consolidated northern Chautauqua County municipality, it is interesting to see what is happening in the village of South Dayton in Cattaraugus County. In recent months, the entity has considered dissolution. Tonight, the Village Board plans a public hearing on the topic at 7 in the South Dayton Fire Hall, 34 Maple St. The hearing is supposed to focus on a dissolution plan endorsed by the Village Board at a Feb. 11 meeting. The plan would transfer most village services, records and laws to the town of Dayton. The hearing will also consider “what ...

Making progress on Code Blue site

The OBSERVER’s View

We’ve been critical of the lack of progress on transitional housing programs for the homeless in Chautauqua County in recent weeks. Transitional housing is still moving too slowly for our liking, but it’s good to see the county beginning to push for increased services in the north county. Jamestown’s homeless population exploded over the past few years, but the issue is becoming more pronounced in the north county too. We have to give credit where it’s due. And it’s good to see the county is working to find a Code Blue site for the north county similar to the ROME shelter ...

Lessons learned on a trip to Ohio

Commentary

Recently, we took a road trip to Ohio with another couple. It was a good break from the winter doldrums. We stopped to see old friends, renew old memories and revisit old, familiar places. Ohio seems like it will never end. There are places of beautiful rolling hills, but then there are the seemingly endless, flat plains of the great craton...the corn belt that spans across several states in the Midwest. We drove for three days and never left the State of Ohio. One of the rewards of seeing old friends is that it is easy. Though you may not have seen them for several years, you ...

Energy mandates hurting upstate

Commentary

New York’s winter deep freeze and record-breaking snowfalls are a stark reminder that reliable, affordable energy isn’t optional — it’s essential to keeping families warm, communities safe, and the economy running. Yet the policy choices made in Albany are out of step with those basic goals. It is becoming increasingly clear that the mandates in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act have weakened grid reliability and driven up costs for working families and Main Street businesses. Enacted in 2019, the CLCPA set ambitious clean energy targets and aggressive ...

COUNTY: Waivers no factor in smoking rates

The OBSERVER’s View

Chautauqua County officials want to push the remaining organizations that have indoor smoking waivers to go smokefree. Smoking indoors in public places became largely illegal in New York state with the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act on July 24, 2003, banning smoking in most workplaces, restaurants, and bars. There are five remaining private organizations with waivers to allow indoor smoking - and those five clubs will begin paying more for the privilege: $300 annually to $650 in 2026, and to $1,000 in 2027. We can’t argue with the health benefits of going smokefree. There are ...