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Anchors Aweigh — and all that jazz

Commentary

When the Fredonia Opera House announced this concert, I closed my laptop and picked up the phone. The U.S. Navy Band’s Sea Chanters were at the Opera House for an evening concert last Friday and I wasn’t going to miss it. It seemed a shame for just Richard and me to enjoy it, so we invited two musician friends to join us. No, we weren’t generous big spenders. All tickets to all military band events are complimentary. Our four tickets arrived in the mail two days later. My friend Ann grew up playing the piano. These days she makes music mostly at church in both the choir and ...

U.S. has long history of trouble with Iran

Commentary

Since the 1979 revolution the U.S. has been described as the “Great Satan” often followed by “Death to America” by Iran’s leadership. During the last 47 years Iran has been the greatest state sponsor of terrorism with the U.S. often the target. The U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, was attacked and seized on November 4, 1979, by a group of Iranian college students supporting the Iranian Revolution with 55 American staff held hostage for 444 days. In 1984 after the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed 241 U.S. military personnel at the ...

HALT Act inaction invites dangers

The OBSERVER’s View

Common-sense choices in upstate are often not embraced by downstate Democrats with ties to New York City. It is a chief reason the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Committee to reform the severely flawed act and help address the ongoing staffing crisis in New York’s prisons has not happened. Republicans, however, are attempting to keep the pressure on due to safety concerns and understaffed positions. “After years of policies that have driven correction officers out of the workforce and made our prisons more dangerous for both staff and inmates, it’s ...

Ten years later, a finish line appears

The OBSERVER’s View

A long journey appears to be reaching an end. On Monday, Kaleida Health announced that initial site work on the new $224 million state-of-the-art new hospital will begin on East Main Street in Fredonia. This month marks 10 years since the project was first announced. It has been a long time coming. “It’s exciting to be underway. We are deeply grateful to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her continued support of this project,” said Don Boyd, president and chief executive officer of Kaleida Health. “This investment in our new hospital will ensure that individuals and families in ...

America’s wins are always golden

Commentary

Sitting in the living room fixed on the TV as the clock ticked down and the game between the USA and Canada Men’s Hockey teams was advancing to overtime, brought my memories full circle to 1980 as a group of us stood on tippy toes as the clock counted down during a game that represented so much more than just an amateur hockey game, or even the fact that it was at an Olympics held closer to home than I had ever witnessed. It was a contest of world domination. It was a contest of democracy versus communism. Much like the times of the late 1970s, portions of American life were ...

New York State Do not expand Raise the Age law

The OBSERVER’s View

A 24-year-old Jamestown man has been indicted by a Chautauqua County Grand Jury in relation to a shooting on East Second Street in July 2025. The other person charged in relation to the same shooting is also 24. Imagine a future in which both of those are tried in Family Court. It’s entirely possible if some Democrats have their way. Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, D-Brooklyn, is proposing the creation of a new “New Young Adult Offender” status that would cover individuals between the ages of 19 and 25 under the states’ Raise the Age program. Raise the Age went into effect in ...