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High winds down trees, wires in county

High winds were the culprit of downed trees and wires throughout Saturday. National Weather Service spotters said the highest wind gust reported in Chautauqua County was in Fredonia before 6 p.m. at 52 mph. Other high wind gusts included: Forestville, 41; Dunkirk Airport, 40; Ripley, 37; Clymer, 36; and Jamestown Airport, 35. For today, the winds should decrease with scattered showers likely after 5 p.m. Highs in the low 60s. On Memorial Day, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 75.

Fredonia falls to Pioneer in Class C title game

BUFFALO — “They are the standard.” It was easy for Nick Bertrando to evaluate the Pioneer Panthers after the defending state champions beat his Fredonia Hillbillies 45-6 in the Section VI Class C flag football championship game Saturday at Sweet Home High School. Pioneer, led by ...

Body recovered from lake appears to be missing Lakewood man

STOW – The body of a Lakewood man who has been missing for months appears to have been recovered. According to the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, Saturday around 8:45 a.m. deputies received a call of a possible body on the shoreline near the Stow Ferry in North Harmony. Deputies, ...

Council ‘disappointed’ mayor to skip meetings

Dunkirk Common Council is “surprised” and “disappointed” at Mayor Kate Wdowiasz’s recent decision to skip its meetings. Councilman-at-large Nick Weiser issued a statement Friday on behalf of “the united city council.” He also addressed Wdowiasz’s declaration that she might ...

Espersen resigns from Fredonia board

Fredonia Trustee Jon Espersen has resigned. “The real question is, why did it take me that long,” he cracked when the OBSERVER asked him Thursday why he did it. “It’s not just one thing, it’s a culmination of many things. The constant negativity— I dreaded going to meetings. I ...

Wells project earns high honors from state

A major Dunkirk project has received high honors for the New York State Economic Development Council Wells Enterprises expansion project has been named the council's 2026 Project of the Year. The announcement was made this week during the 2026 Annual Meeting in Cooperstown. The Project of ...